Of course, when death comes to a home, a subdued atmosphere is to be expected. But this is a different kind of quiet.
Category: Remembering Hans
When a Developmentally Challenged Person Loses a Sibling
Special needs, special grief | When there is a death in the family, the surviving developmentally challenged sibling grieves too. While cognitive impairment presents difficulties in understanding the finer points of the theological truths that sustain the rest of us, I believe the Lord ministers to the mentally disabled in very special ways as only He can. The Good Shepherd tenderly cares for all His lambs, right where they are. How sweet to simply trust Him.
Another Year Closer
An Excerpt from my Book Never Ceasing: God’s Faithfulness in Grief In cutting his earthly life short, God has withheld no good thing from our Hans. For the Christian, to die is gain, and Hans has surely gotten the better end of the deal. He is basking in the light of God’s presence, utterly shielded …
Out Loud
I love to be in the woods after a snowfall when the only sound for miles around is your name as I speak it out loud
Is Anyone Remembering Him Today?
I know of a man and his wife, a little older than us, that had a son who died some time ago in a car crash. Same age as our Hans, same abrupt end. I don't know these folks personally; they are acquaintances of my husband. I have only seen them from a distance. I …
Nothing But the Blood
Nothing can for sin atone, Nothing but the blood of Jesus; Naught of good that I have done, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Memorial Day
Though my Father served in the United States Air Force, I do not come from a particularly military family. Our son, Hans, did not serve in the military. But, as a volunteer firefighter/medic, he was given firefighter's honors at his memorial service. To be honest, I was floored. I did not expect such an honor. …
Forgetting
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; Isaiah 49:15-16 There are things about Hans I will never forget for as long as …
Two Years Closer
January 11, 2016 was the best day of Hans' life. That's the day he entered the Presence of Almighty God. And we are two years closer to seeing him again. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21 † https://youcantrusthim.com/2019/01/29/is-anyone-remembering-him-today/
Precious in the Sight of the Lord
As death overcomes the body and the believer passes into life eternal, in the last moments of grace, is the still small voice of the Lord the last and clearest thing a child of God hears on earth? Is our spiritual receptivity at its peak at this very moment?
I Don’t Belong
https://youtu.be/73-6P09xaAE I DON'T BELONG words by Gloria Gaither, music by Buddy Greene buddygreene.com It's not homeWhere men sell their soulsAnd the taste of power is sweetWhere wrong is rightAnd neighbors fightWhile the hungry are dyin' in the streetsWhere kids are abusedAnd women are usedAnd the weak are crushed by the strongNations gone madJesus is sadAnd …
Just a Brief Interlude
I say that the tomb that closes upon the dead opens the heavens; and that what we here below take for the end is the beginning; -Victor Hugo
Light Show
Hans was a flashlight fanatic. This, of course, led to a rechargeable battery habit. He did not want to get caught on a highway emergency call without a good light. Car repairs and other work at home often had to be done in the dark as well. So, not unexpectedly, this past Christmas Hans gave …
Things Are Not What They Seem
One of the things bereaved parents would like you to know is this: Even though they may seem pretty together and functional; even though they smile, though perhaps not very brightly and not for very long; and even though it seems like they are moving on with life, there are many, many things going on …
One Year
Can it be a whole year since we saw our boy's face? If you have a special memory of Hans (no matter how long ago), a funny story, or a photo you would like to share, please leave it in the comments section below, or visit Hans' memorial website here. Every memory posted is a …