Sunday will come

I spent this last weekend in Kansas. The trip was sudden and unplanned due to the passing away of one of my good friends from Texas. Her name is Tatum. She was a month younger than I am and the mother of three young daughters. She battled Lupus for three years and spent the last 10 weeks of her life in the ICU before passing on.

When we first moved to Texas, Hyrum, was about six weeks old. He had been born in the hospital and had complications. I thought at the time that if he hadn't been born in the hospital he probably would've died. I believed hospitals were the place to have babies, epidurals were definitely the way to go, and vaccines were safe and best for children. I had no intention of changing my beliefs.

Then, I met Tatum.

Her small and petite frame do not do justice to her bold nature. She held firm beliefs and opinions, and was passionate about several things in life. You never had to question where Tatum stood on an issue. Childbirth and child rearing were near the top of her list of passions.

What I loved about Tatum was that although she knew I disagreed with her beliefs she never tried to force them on me. She never tried to convince me. The way she lived her life and the example she set spoke louder than any words ever could have. I watched and was inspired by her. My desire to learn naturally grew as I heard truths that she would gently, but matter of factly, speak.

I still didn't agree with Tatum but, how grateful I am that truth has a way of infusing your being and lighting your soul; bringing out a passion you never knew existed. Without a conscious decision to do so, I became a changed being. Truth infused me and literally lit a fire within me. I have never been the same since.

Thank you Tatum. Thank you for being you. Thank you for being true to your beliefs. Thank you from all whose lives will be touched by the truths that I now know.

Tatum passed away just three short days after Easter. How grateful I am for my Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ. For His life, His ministry, His Atonement, and His resurrection. How grateful I am for His truth in my life. As difficult and trying as death is and as heart-wrenching as losing a loved one must be, I am grateful there is hope. Hope found only in and through the One who loosed the bands of death and overcame the grave, our Savior Jesus Christ.

Go here to understand the title for this post.