David
On April 15th, we lost a good friend of ours, David to a 10 month battle with lung cancer. David was the first our my friends from Ross who met Darren and welcomed him with open arms. I have great memories of David, whether it was going to football games with him and his wife Grace in Ann Arbor, or asking him for recommendations on whatever gadget I was about to buy, or telling him about this new amazing guy I was dating.. My memories of David span Dallas, Ann Arbor, Chicago, and Napa. David was truly a great friend. Most importantly, he loved the Lord and treasured his wife like no other.
I have this clear memory of telling David about my acceptance to work at Frito-Lay. I explained that I made my decision based on whether or not I should work in a big city like Dallas or work in a small city in Michigan. And I remember David saying, "It's better this way.. the fewer options the better. God's direction is clear."
When I think of David, I think of Jeremiah 17:7-8:
"But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."
David's memorial was beautiful;anchored by his incredibly strong, beautiful and 36-week pregnant wife. People shared about David's love of food, gadgets, and the great friend he was. God's presence was known as the gospel was shared to the hundreds of those in attendance...
Grandpa
Early Saturday morning, Darren lost his grandfather, Anthony Antoniello who was 91 years old. Grandpa had had a long battle with Parkinson's. When I met grandpa, he and grandma were on their way to moving to assisted living. We went to his funeral today, which was small but beautiful. All 5 grandchildren were in attendance and each family member spoke about memories about Mr A- his love of family, children, his corny jokes, and his love for the "love of his life" Mrs. Antoniello.
Darren shared about how grandpa was his friend, even as a child, and he shared that he knew his grandpa was in a better place. He also shared about the following verse he shared with grandpa on his last two visits to hospice that encouraged everyone to remember that Grandpa's body was only temporal..
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
My favorite memory of Grandpa was just two weeks ago when we were visiting him in hospice; knowing that it would be the last time we'd see him. Darren had his arm around me and we were hugging each other. Grandpa said, "I see that you two are still madly in love, just like me and your grandma after 67 years of marriage."..
Our hope in the Lord
Two very different lives, two very different funerals..one was "too soon" and because of that, tragic... the other was "expected" yet sad because of the big hole left in our hearts..
Yet through all of this, we know that God has a great plan. We know that both David and Grandpa are in a better place in which they are without pain and without suffering at the feet of Jesus basking in his glory.
It really has brought Darren and I closer together. If anything it reminds us to not rely on each other but to keep our focus on Jesus and his work through the gospel...
1 Peter 1:3-9
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
Lord, we rest in our hope in You. May you continue to reveal yourself to us..
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."
David's memorial was beautiful;anchored by his incredibly strong, beautiful and 36-week pregnant wife. People shared about David's love of food, gadgets, and the great friend he was. God's presence was known as the gospel was shared to the hundreds of those in attendance...
Grandpa
Early Saturday morning, Darren lost his grandfather, Anthony Antoniello who was 91 years old. Grandpa had had a long battle with Parkinson's. When I met grandpa, he and grandma were on their way to moving to assisted living. We went to his funeral today, which was small but beautiful. All 5 grandchildren were in attendance and each family member spoke about memories about Mr A- his love of family, children, his corny jokes, and his love for the "love of his life" Mrs. Antoniello.
Darren shared about how grandpa was his friend, even as a child, and he shared that he knew his grandpa was in a better place. He also shared about the following verse he shared with grandpa on his last two visits to hospice that encouraged everyone to remember that Grandpa's body was only temporal..
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
My favorite memory of Grandpa was just two weeks ago when we were visiting him in hospice; knowing that it would be the last time we'd see him. Darren had his arm around me and we were hugging each other. Grandpa said, "I see that you two are still madly in love, just like me and your grandma after 67 years of marriage."..
Our hope in the Lord
Two very different lives, two very different funerals..one was "too soon" and because of that, tragic... the other was "expected" yet sad because of the big hole left in our hearts..
Yet through all of this, we know that God has a great plan. We know that both David and Grandpa are in a better place in which they are without pain and without suffering at the feet of Jesus basking in his glory.
It really has brought Darren and I closer together. If anything it reminds us to not rely on each other but to keep our focus on Jesus and his work through the gospel...
1 Peter 1:3-9
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
Lord, we rest in our hope in You. May you continue to reveal yourself to us..
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