We've suffered a great loss.  One week ago, after an unexpected hospitalization, our dear friend of 17 years, pastor for the last 11, and brother in Christ left this earth to go be with Jesus. No one saw it coming. We don't know when our time here will be over. And yet...in hind sight I see so clearly that our Loving Father was preparing us for this for quite some time.

Eric van Rhee was only 53, lived large and with great passion, and impacted thousands and thousands of people worldwide. We grieve for ourselves, for his beautiful wife and four adult children and three of their spouses, for our church family, and for the world which now has a huge hole in it that only Eric could fill.  But we do not grieve as those who have no hope because we know where Eric is–so happy to be with the Lord he loved so deeply, and the Lord we also love. No more sorrow...no more tears...no more pain. The Lord has plans to fill that hole with HIS great purposes and plans.

Grief is real and legitimate. It must be experienced fully. There is no way around it–only through–to arrive on the other side of it. One way I grieve is to write. It is therapeutic for me. Hence, I share with you a tribute I've written to Eric encapsulating my wide range of emotions and thoughts over the "First Days" without him.

                             A Tribute to Eric van Rhee…
                ...My Friend, My Pastor, My Brother in Christ
                       March 9, 1962 – February 18, 2016
 
                                     “FIRST DAYS”
Stunned.
There are no words. Only shock, disbelief.
How can this be?!
NO!
Tears.
   Pain.
      Sorrow upon sorrow.
Reflection.  
Remembering…
   Smiles,
      Laughter,
         Joy.
Wait–how can this be?!
So much life yet to live…
So much yet to do…
Numbness.
   Exhaustion.
      Finally sleep…brief.
Awaken to remember…
   He’s gone.
Pray–Comfort her! Comfort them! Comfort me!
Received–“I’ve got her.” “I’ve got them.” “I’ve got this.”...
“Remember…
   Passion!
     Life FULLY lived!
        Poured out and FULLY spent!
           Legacy left COMPLETELY, will go on…
      And on…”
Time to go.

  Passed the torch.









Remembering…
   Smiles,
      Laughter,
         Joy.
Journey here complete.
   Well done!
       
A week now…
Having those “One week ago today…” thoughts.
Shock and disbelief giving way to full blown grief.
Grief.
   Painful.
      Sometimes bold, in your face…
         Sometimes subtle but always there, playing in the background…
            Hits you out of nowhere, in waves, crashing demandingly upon shores of emotion, needing its place…carving out the “new normal.”  What is THAT?!!!  What is normal???  Nothing will ever be normal again.  And yet…
HIS HOPE does not disappoint (Romans 5:5).
Hope…Having Our Perspective Elevated.
YES! 
Looking up…to the One Who has past, present, and future in His sovereign, capable, and loving hands.
         Bigger picture…grand plan…
            Seeing glimpses…
 
Take the torch!
Remembering.
   Smiles,
      Laughter,
         Joy.
Journey to complete.
      Not done!

                                       With love,                             

​Spring is Coming Early!!!
​
Yep! That’s what Punxsutawney Phil has predicted! Here he is checking for his shadow this morning at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania as his formally-clad onlookers are waiting with baited breath! No shadow this year, and “Glory Halleluiah!” for those of us who are looking forward to warmer weather!




​I always get a kick out of Phil’s cute little mug, whiskers twitching, while accommodating the photographer for yet another photoshoot to mark this momentous occasion. And although I realize his shadow, or the lack thereof, is not a true predictor of our seasonal fate, Groundhog Day surely is a fun tradition.
 
While I commemorate the events and results of this Groundhog Day 2016, I am warm and comfortable in my home. Yet beyond the windowpanes of my office lay a deepening blanket of Utah’s world-famous snow. The temperature today is only expected to climb to a wintry 28°.

Our 6-inch deep quilt of quiet white will not be melting anytime soon. And although I am looking forward to warmer days ahead, I must admit that I do enjoy the beauty of a winter wonderland, complete with its protruding trunks and sticks of brown, while it lasts. I am reminded that nature is taking a rest, and what lies dormant beneath will soon be springing forth with fluorescent lime greens, brilliant yellows, and pretty pinks, purples, and blues.  Vibrant new life will soon debut to play another part on the landscape’s stage.

Seasons are miraculous, really. And they are not exclusive to nature alone. We also experience seasons in our lives. Life is cyclical. Times of dormancy sometimes descend upon us. We need only remember that, when “winter” comes, it’s appropriate to step back, rest, and let what lies beneath have adequate time to prepare for “spring.”

​Have you ever experienced a “dormancy” in your life cycle? What new season did you experience when it ended? Are you in a season of “winter” right now? Hang on…Punxsutawney Phil says spring is right around the corner!

Have a bright day!