The Word of God
I Knew You’d Be Here
Something tells me that I am not the only one who is unhardened and maybe a tad more than elated to see 2020 go by the wayside and usher in a new year with promise, resolution, and perhaps even a little amnesia. I write this with a healthy amount of caution because, as some of you may already be thinking, 2021 could be worse, while others, siding with the more-or-less optimistic stoics among us, would be counter-offering a glib, “how could it be?!” Whatever the case may be, we can all agree that new opportunities await all of us just as they have every year, and now is the time to learn from the more immediate past and project going forward whether or not the new year is going to be better than the last one.
Let me suggest one possible positive starting point to begin 2021: is there anything already significant about the upcoming year that we could find so as to set the stage for good things to celebrate rather than ruminate? We would seek these out to somehow counteract the events over which we have no control with items that, whether it is a great or terrible year, will come and go whether we like it or not, with of course the normal caveat about dying or some other unforeseen cataclysmic occurrence. I found one.
Sometime within the first few days of our new adventure, I will have outlived my grandfather. The rationale of this observation has nothing to do with competition and everything to do with admiration which should be made noticeably clear in a few lines. To declare without embarrassment that I will have been blessed by this landmark in 2021 only serves to remind and challenge me to live up to the standards and nobility that he left my family over forty-five years ago when he died. If there was anyone in my world who could make you feel as if you were the only one in the room, it was Grandpa. I am very happy to discover in sharing this intent to write about him with my other relatives, mostly cousins, that I was not the only one who felt this way or to this day still remember the intense joy and expression of pure delight when we walked into his home, expressing as he would with some little nickname he had for each one of us. Mine was “Little Googy,” which I have come to discover is an Australian term of endearment spoken to children when they are about to be fed their morning egg.
Of all the memories amassed during high school, of all the choices and decisions that a young man makes during that tumultuous season of human development, I am most happy of the one I made, almost intuitively, to begin to ask my Grandpa about as many memories he had to share whenever we went to visit. Had these days been accompanied with clever and smart phones that could have recorded and photographed any given moments of time, my rendition of those short but meaningful conversations may have been very different today. Still, I am grateful for what we had and for what I remember, even more than forty years ago.
One memory that always comes back to my heart, especially around these times of Thanksgiving and Christmas, is the very tender account my Grandpa telling me about a little lamb he was once given. I can’t remember why or how he came across a baby lamb, but I do remember what happened after a few months. My Grandpa has created a little pen to the side of their home into a makeshift corral and every day went out to feed the animal and to make sure that it was protected and safe from any wild animals that may have been passing through. Over the next couple of months, the lamb grew pretty large and by this time had already had a name. Then came Thanksgiving. As a father of a family of six mouths to feed, he had one obligation and it will not take an exceedingly long stretch of the imagination to figure out what happened next. The last element of this memory that I remember is what my father told me years later after my Grandpa died. He said that he could remember approaching the table quite hungry and as he was enjoying one of his favorite meals with his brothers and sister, he looked up and saw his father walking up and down the dining room with just a piece of bread and some coffee. He just couldn’t eat the main course that day, understandably.
I think it was early in my Senior Year of high school that I had what was probably the last conversation I would have with Grandpa just weeks before he died. Our nation was still swelling from the divisive nature of the Vietnam War/Conflict and as a young man nearing the age of the draft, I had some important questions for him concerning the nature of battle and war itself knowing the time of life that he had lived and observed. “Why do we have war, Grandpa?” was something along those lines that I recall placing before him outside his home, probably near the same area of his make-shift lamb pen. I wish I could say that I could restate the exact words he used, but what I do remember was that he said that war really did not create valor or heroism, rather, it revealed it in the most unobvious of places.
Then he went on to share a most profound detail that he was told by those, older than him, returning from World War II. It involved a situation involving two buddies from Texas who fought side by side in the trenches of France. Apparently, the two had become separated in the fierce battles in the trenches in southern France. When the gunfire had ceased for a few merciful minutes, the one could hear the other crying out clearly wounded and even perhaps dying and began to implore his commanding officer for permission to crawl over to reach his friend, to offer comfort and encouragement and to help him in any way possible. The officer in charge, however, refused to let him leave the trench but before he knew it, the young soldier was already over the top, ignoring the smell of gunpowder in the air, the concussion of incoming rounds, and the frenetic pounding of his heart deep within his chest. Miraculously, he made it to his friend hoisting him on his back and then repeated the amazing rescue effort only to discover that when they both returned to the safe area of their platoon, it was too late. His friend was gone. And even in the face of remarkable love translated into pristine bravery, the officer in charge chided the young soldier and cynically asked if it had been “worth the risk.” Without hesitation, he quickly and with tears in his eyes, gently responded, “It truly was worth it, sir. My buddy’s last words made it more than worth it. He looked up at me before he died and said, ‘I knew you would come.’” Not too much longer after that priceless conversation, my Grandpa leaped into eternity waiting for all of us, but not without leaving us all at least a few morsels of wisdom to propel us forward into the trenches of life. I remember recalling that story as they carried his body to the cemetery with all my family watching with a heaviness caused by the realization that things would probably not be the same anymore, and they were right.
Amazingly, some thirty years later, I found myself presented with a situation which made me think of these elements of life and love and loyalty from yet another unique perspective. I guess you could say that I have been blessed with both a sense of loyalty and reciprocally loyal friends, so when one of them called me to tell me that his older brother was found dead in his living room, a man I knew and considered a friend, and then quickly ended the conversation to start planning the funeral, I knew what I was going to do. It was the week of Thanksgiving and I had not spoken with my friend who lived in the Midwest and I remember answering my mom who asked me what I was doing for Thanksgiving. I answered, “I’ll be in Iowa.” Calling on favors from everyone from Omaha to Sioux City, I arranged the flight, a car, and a place to stay, including a ride to the funeral home where I knew the family would be gathering. I can still see the scene in my mind’s eye. I was sitting alone in the back of the chapel watching as my friend and his grieving family filed in to pay the last respects, many of them who only saw the body of my friend’s brother laying in state, tears and sad shouts emanating throughout those brief shocking, terrible moments. And that’s when it happened. My friend casually or maybe instinctively looked back toward the last pew of the chapel and spotted me. He slowly sauntered toward me, approached, and said those immortal words, “I knew you’d come.”
Grateful to my ever-smiling and constant welcoming Grandpa, I am ever-so-thankful to my Sweet Jesus who has never left my side no matter how dark it has been, or rather how dark it appeared to be. Therefore, I’d like to share with you what I have learned going forward:
- The fear of death is more dreaded than death itself. Fear is the enemy, and we cannot negotiate with it. I choose to live in freedom. The only failure is losing God and that is not going to happen.
- Because I choose to envision the sheer magnitude of my dreams and blessings, I can appreciate and accept the intensity of my life’s battles. As long as there is breath in my body, I will never give up.
- Problems are messages. I realize now that until I fully receive and grasp the messages, they are poised to repeat themselves.
I know very well how valuable time is and how wonderful it is when it is spent doing good things and spending it with great people. Thank you, Grandpa. I know you did all you could for all of us and genuinely believe that you are at peace now. To all who are reading this, I wish you peace in this brave new year.
There is no doubt there are many among our readership who call themselves “dog lovers.” I mention this as a sort of disclaimer because as we begin to launch another brave new, and a conceivably better world in 2021, I want to close with the last line from an awesome book and movie simply entitled, “A Dog’s Purpose.” After taking some of us on an emotional roller-coaster, the ending reveals what the title suggests. The purpose of those wonderful canine companions is simple. “Be Here Now.” What a great way to preface the new year! Just be here, wherever you are, whatever the circumstance, whatever the scenario. Then, just maybe, you’ll hear the words that everyone should hear at least once in their lives: “I knew you would come.”
Share your thoughts (62 thoughts)“Love is Love no matter how old you are, and I knew if I gave you enough time, you’d come back to me.” ~Nicholas Sparks
“Be here now.” What a great and simple reminder as we start the New Year. It has certainly been a year filled with distractions and changes in plans. It can be easy to let these outside factors influence our time and energy, but the most important thing we can do is Be Here Now and give God and our families our very best. Thanks for another great and inspiring read. Happy New Year!
Good day to you, Eric, and thank you for your comments as we begin to plow through this new year! I think what you remind us all is sound and true: before we become consumed by the onslaught of headlines and deadlines, our priorities in this world must take precedence and complete importance. What does it matter if the world is coming undone and we neglect those closest to us? You are so right in stating that distractions only have the power we give them. Have a great day and an even more wonderful new year! God bless you always!
Thank you so very much for this beautiful and thought provoking article and reflection. To “Be Here Now” affords us the opportunity to live in the presence of God as we fulfill our ministry through Him; and, ultimately, we will find that the words “I knew you would come”, will resonate throughout our lifetime as each task of our ministry is completed, while serving as God’s vessels.
Thank you for sharing your God given talent by way of these powerful articles. I truly look forward to reading them. For me, each has served as a spiritual lesson, and each has encouraged me to dig a little deeper within so that God’s light may shine a little brighter each day. Thank you, and God bless you!
Good morning, Sandy, and Happy Epiphany of the Lord, the time when we remember the visit of the Magi. In some circles, an “epiphany” is defined as usually a sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something that has occurred that brings about an intuitive and sometimes startling realization, discovery, or disclosure that had previously been hidden or at least unseen. People usually exclaim, “Oh, I get it now!” when chancing upon an epiphany-like experience in life. As we close once again this great Christmas Season and continue to embark upon the ocean of God’s providence before us in the New Year, may you and all those you love, have an epiphany of sorts that makes a positive and spiritual impact on our lives that will last a very long time. This necessarily means making some basic change that improves the world outside of us and especially within us. May we see what previously was not seen and understand at least one part of the mystery of Christ this year. It is waiting right there for all of us. Then we might truly understand what was said about the first group who encountered their own epiphany when the Gospel recounted that the Magi “departed for their country by another way.” God bless you, Sandy, and may your remaining days of this year be supremely blessed!
I have exercised my thoughts about this New Year and your stories are confirmation that there is nothing to go back to in 2020 except what it has taught us. Many of the things that happened, happened so fast and were left without time to reflect, while others had deep meaning for me. “Be here now” is the best advice I have heard moving forward. I will do my best in the year 2021
Thank you, Gabriel, for your comments on our recent post and for sharing with the rest of our readers especially of your decision to “Be Here Now” throughout the unfolding das of the New Year. I believe you are absolutely correct in writing “that there is nothing to go back to in 2020 except what it has taught us.” You have truly added much-needed awareness to one of the pivotal lessons of the article: Problems are messages. I realize now that until I fully receive and grasp the messages, they are poised to repeat themselves. Please accept my prayers along with the hopes of all our readers for a blessed year filled with deep meaning and revelations.
Thanks for the wonderful story about the memories you shared about your grandfather. My grandfather was pretty much my only male role model growing up as I never met my dad. Thanks for that reminder of the importance of having someone of that stature in our lives and how they mold us into who we are today.
Absolutely, Ron! Perhaps we could agree that our grandparents at times have gone to the wayside of our distant memories without the proper and appropriate care of remembrance and yet they clearly made an impact on our lives. Thank you for not only reminding us to pray for our grandparents (and all of our ancestors for that matter) but also for gracing these pages with your insightful comments that I knew have helped me and our other readers. Have a great New Year and all the wisdom you will need to make it the very best.
“What a bargain grandchildren are! I give them my loose change, and they give me a million dollars’ worth of pleasure.” — Gene Perret
I love this story. I know 2020 was a rough year but I can’t forget how many good things happened for us.
“I knew you would come” to me says, although 2020 had it tough times, God was always there. Have a blessed new year.
Thank you once again for responding to our blog posts all throughout the year and for this installment when you remind us all that the One who always is there for us is the One who created us out of love. God bless you always!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful article! It helped me talk with my youngest son about how blessed he is to have such good friends and the fact that he is a good friend to them as well. God bless you each and every day!
Welcome back, Mary Ann, and thank you for giving yet another excellent insight that we can carry into the brave new twelve months. Friendship is such a gift that I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like not to have along the way. Every relationship exists because people decide to stay loyal to each other and treat loyalty as the foundation of their connection. However, being loyal to people does not mean pleasing them at all costs, but rather being completely honest with them, even when the truth hurts. God bless you always and Happy New Year.
Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful stories with us! Reading this today has really warmed my heart and now I’m excited for the new year. “Be Here Now” will be my motto this year. I truly appreciate the wonderful work you do, and look forward to reading more in 2021. May God bless us in His mercy!
Thank you Jeannie, for your heartfelt comments and support of this work! I am happy that “Be Here Now” will be among your guiding principles for the New Year as it is mine. God bless you and Happy New Year
Beautiful words to end the year! May God Bless you always ! We hold on to the Love of those who are no longer here with us. May we who still have time here bring hope and love to share what was given to us. May God give us the strength to face all that we must endure in 2021❤️
Thank you, Denice, for sharing your hopes and thoughts with us as we start a brand new adventure in 2021. We all need to pray for strength in the coming 12 months so that, instead of wishing for an easy life, we may find courage and bravery to face what is already waiting for us ahead. We also know that Jesus is already there. “Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.” – Max Lucado
This is a beautiful reminder of my wonderful mother who instilled so much love in all of her children. In this story grandpa is my mom. I wondered why she spoke to everyone before she passed and not to me. A wonderful friend pointed out, because she’s not worried about you. You’re good. In many ways she always knew I would be there for her and dad no matter what. I love this! Let’s try to be there more than ever for one another.
Thank you so very much, Laura! That was such a tender, poignant episode that you shared and I pray that others will be able to benefit from your transparent story. I am sure that we have learned that being there for the other is one of the greatest acts of love we can muster. Happy New Year!
Many people are saying good riddance to 2020. But I, for one, am blessed! Everyday God woke me up and gave me another chance to do His Will. He was always there for me! Yes, my brother passed away December 1st 2020, but for five years God prepared him and our family for his death. He was with us! I believe when my brother entered Heaven, God said to him “I knew you would come.” My brother suffered for five years to prepare for his death and with his suffering he became closer to Jesus Christ.
Thank you for blessing me with these inspiring stories. These stories have made me think about my own life. I have made changes in my life to better myself and my family. I look forward to many more stories in 2021. Happy New Year and Blessings to all!
Good morning, Julie, and Happy First Day of the brand new year! Thank you for reminding us that the greatest act of fidelity that highlights and certifies the phrase, I knew you would come,” is what Jesus Christ accomplished for all of us by dying and rising from the dead. The Star in the East which led the Magi to the Christ Child becomes the East-er moment of undying hope for all of us especially as we launch into a new year. Thank you for all the time and effort you have taken this past year to add to the depth and wealth of the thoughts that have been expressed here on these pages. Your shared life with us all has deeply touched and deepened our awareness of the great love of God for all of us. God bless you always, Julie!
Thank you for a very inspirational article. Well done. I know that 2021 will be better. A new year always is, because it is a new beginning. Life is what we make it out to be. There will always be challenges.
Thank you so very much, Father, for gracing these pages with your response to our very last blog post of the year! We pray that 2021 will be better, but if not, we certainly will and must pray for the strength we will need to face whatever challenges and hurdles that are coming our way. God bless you, your parish, and all your family. May only goodness and kindness follow you all the days of the New Year.
“In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it’s impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves. And then, in that very moment when I love them…. I destroy them.”
― Orson Scott Card
Thank you for sharing your this amazing article, once again it touches my soul. This hits close to home as I was going thru cancer and I knew He would be here to get me through what ever was in my journey. I wish you many blessings and a Happy New Year.
Your life of courage and resilience is a source of strength and hope for all of us, Yvonne. Only through the power that lies within us through our faith and perseverance could we ever hope to make this journey with any hope of survival. Thank you for sharing your story and victories with all of us. We are all comforted in the very fact that none of makes this journey alone. God bless you and your family and grant you an enormously faith-filled twelve months ahead and beyond!
Very much needed encouragement to end a discouraging year. Thank you Jesus, I knew you would come!
God bless you always, Cris and may the New Year find you wanting nothing more than the presence of Christ in your life which has clearly shown through to those you meet and serve.
As we end this challenging year, I have peace of mind knowing there is a daily Christ centered message for inspiration and reflection when I need it. Your daily blog helps me stay focused on what’s important in life. Many thanks!
Thank you so very much for these words of support and encouragement. Let us all stay focused on Christ every day of our existence!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful anecdote and witnessing to us the power of love and friendship.
This blog has truly been a bright spot in my life this past year. It has served as a source of reflection and inspiration.
You are a gifted storyteller and writer. Thank you for sharing your gift with us.
I’m looking forward to reading more of work in the coming year.
Wishing you and your readers many blessings in 2021.
Thank you so very much, Annelise, for the time and effort you took to make your comments known and accessible for our readers. I am so very happy that you have found in these pages a bright spot in this otherwise bleak years. We definitely return all the blessings and hopes for a prosperous and blessed year in 2021! God bless you and all your family.
With the most clear and trusting hope in the Lord Jesus for a new year filled with brightness and truth, we thank you for the encouraging words you have offered all of us today. May the Lord grant you all the strength you will need to make of the coming twelve months the best in every way possible. I am glad that these provided a bright spot during this remarkably trying time.
Beautifully written article! Living in the moment and not in fear is hard to do, but when we wholeheartedly believe God will help us along, in all the paths of our life, we begin to truly live out our life here on Earth. So knowing that God will “always come to us” when we need him the most, makes this life a little more manageable. May we all keep God in our hearts this next year and always! God bless you and may you be filled with peace, joy, and happiness every day of your life!
The welcomed advice to live in the moment, not look back, and not to fear the future are pearls of healthy counsel that have the great potential of assuring a safe passage through the days and months ahead. Thank you, Veronica, for spending the time and effort in sharing these insights with all our readers. May the Good Lord Jesus bless you and your family as we move forward in faith with all the bravery and courage we can must in His Name.
What a great article to read before bed this evening and beautiful writing and message in the story. Looking forward to more readings in 2021 from this author and more god bless us always.
Thank you so much, Gabe, and God bless you and your family especially in the days and months to come.
“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”
– Helen Keller
It’s wonderful to know you have someone who will always be there. Like God
“When you get to your wits end, you will find, God lives there.”
Thank you for sharing with us, Donna. God bless you always!
Such a beautiful and inspiring story. It especially touched me now that I’m a grandpa. I’ve heard, on various occasions, that a certain peace and acceptance is acquired as one nears death. It seems to me the reality of our human lifecycle is awakened into consciousness where it had, perhaps for years, been previously veiled. What I witnessed was increments of Grace where the dying person became more needful of assistance from others. Embarrassment or pridefulness evaporated and the person seemed to peacefully cooperate with the hour of their death. Although the sadness of the loss was profound, the transition from this life to the next was wonderfully beautiful. I’ve spoken to many people who were present when a loved one died. Somehow Grace and wonder completely alluded their experience. In fact, some became agitated by my experience description. When I encounter this phenomenon the psalm verse always comes to mind, “If today you hear his voice harden not your heart.” I believe their broken heartedness becomes anger, and then becomes cynicism. Yet, they’re seeking comfort and respite from sorrow. It seems, at times, we’re not even aware that we’ve encountered God‘s goodness. In God’s kindness, we are endowed with intuition to seek that which is love, which is God.
Welcome back and Happy New Year, Dr. Montez Your insights from your newly-obtained position of “abuelo” have shed even more light on the depth and meaning of what our latest blog post was and is trying to convey. Your comments on the required peace and acceptance of one’s own death, perhaps prepared throughout life as one witnesses and internalizes the death of others, is profound on every level. The beautiful transition into eternal life is certainly lost somewhere along the path of the stages of death and dying but I never realized fully the ugliness of cynicism until now. The hardness of heart must give way to the bright promise of immortality. For those who believe, trust, and accept the challenge of life on so many levels, life is changed, not ended. I was particularly moved by the notion that embarrassment, pride, or any other self-serving attitude must evaporate before the gift of clarity is rendered. God’s kindness reigns supreme. Thank you so very much, Tony. May this year bring forth all the fruit that it promises and urge us all to find the face of God. Blessings upon all your family!
It’s no surprise that this article gripped my heart ever-so tightly, just as so many of the others have done before… this article in particular, threw me directly into those trenches of war. I heard the gunshots, the cannons, the men crying out… and I saw the soldier, sharing a precious moment with his dear friend almost as if it was in slow motion… “I knew you’d come.”
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It’s without saying that the entire year of 2020 has caused all kinds of wars between family members, friends, and coworkers alike. But this year has been especially challenging for me, as the type of war 2020 had brought upon me was stationed within.
Death has been swarming the country, and the world, unlike anything I’ve witnessed in my lifetime. In a way, it had intensified my fear of dying on a scale I hadn’t experienced before. The air grew thick and words people spoke began to sound like mumbling and noise. Panic and anger was all around me at all times of the day. It was evident there was a spiritual war raging within me, and I needed to find my way back to Him… quickly.
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When I began to read these articles, I felt a very familiar, almost nostalgic, emotion slowly return to me; an emotion that I hadn’t felt much of in recent years… that emotion was simply, Hope. Every article catapulted me to moments in my life when God reminded me He was right by my side, most especially during my darkest days. I’d find myself returning to re-read articles as well as revisit prayers I hadn’t recited in years. And as the days of the 2020 year fell like dominos behind me, so did layers of fear of the unknown. I kept my eyes on God, as He provided the light to help me watch my step.
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I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I said I was completely rid of my fear of death and the unknown, but I am more Hopeful of one thing: that when my day does come, He will be right by my side in those trenches of mortality; tending to the wounds and scars life had bestowed unto me, as my friend, my best friend, my protector in the war of life. And just as your beloved Grandpa left you a beautiful memory, you will leave me with a memory just as beautiful. And when it is time for God to call me home, I will be able to look into His gracious eyes and repeat those precious words: “I knew you’d come.”
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Thank you for blessing me and my family with your unforgettable stories during this troubling year. You’ve helped us keep our eyes on God and each other the whole way through. We look forward to reading more of your work in the next year! Stay safe and God Bless you always!
+ Kristen
Your deep insights and moving words of deeply-felt emotion have helped make this year in so many ways a little more manageable and worthy of all of efforts. Thank you so very much, Kristen, for all the time and effort that you have take this year to help place these posts in the proper perspectives so that so many others could benefit and bring about even more spiritual fruit. The images of war and insurrection that seemed to have plagued us this year call to mind the cosmic battle between light and darkness, goodness and evil, God and the netherworld. Perhaps we have witnessed a slice of that conflict here on earth these past twelve months, and if that is true, then we must be held accountable to have reaped tremendous benefit from these lessons. AND I believe we have. God bless you and all your family these days as we look forward to more beauty and insight in the months following. Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one’s weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.
Your words are encouraging and comforting. Thank you for sharing❤
“Everyone has inside them a piece of good news. The good news is you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is.”
(Anne Frank) God bless you, Priscilla, and Happy New Year! Thank you for your response.
The change in days are subtle, its the calendar year that is remarkable. I love the excerpt about your grandfather. I to choose to live free— High and low points are not always what we perceive them to be; we choose to live by, and walk with—faith, and peace in gods plan.
Nothing less than the best fruits of wisdom and grace is what we wish for you and your family, Dan, and for the strength to maintain the wish to live free and make all of life’s decisions in the freedom which Jesus won for us on the cross. Peace to you and to all whom you love! Happy New Year!
Thank you again for a wonderful story. I so look forward to the insight into our catholic lives that is so elegantly contained in these great stories. This story does not disappoint as it holds out the hope in all of us to reach eternity where our friends and relatives will be there waiting and uttering the words, “I knew you’d come.”
As we near the end of one amazing year and set to begin another, you remind us all about the value of the witness of our family and friends throughout all of it. May the Lord Jesus bless you and all your family with the graces you will need to face whatever comes our way. Happy New Year, Denise, and thank you so much for helping grace these pages with your insights.
Once again as in all your articles you remind us that all God wants and commands us to do is to “Love one another”… “I knew you would come” a refrain God loves to hear and one I knew and felt when each of my parents passed away. I pray for the grace to be the one who comes to one in need.
Happy New Year, Sylvia, and thank you for helping all of us remember the great and awesome challenge to Love One Another especially in light of the unknown venture we have before us. May Love through the most loving heart of Jesus inspire us to see the world just a little differently this year as we begin yet another installment of this mystery we call life. God bless you always and Happy New Year!
I am writing this comment through my tears so please forgive the typos or incorrect punctuation. “I Knew You’d Be Here”, touches my heart because we’ve all had those times when God comforts us with the one person we needed to see precisely when we needed to see them. Why does it mean so much? Because He sends “Jesus, with skin on” in the person of our earthly beloved. Thank you so much for this beautiful story of family and friends who make life worth living even through the hard times of war, pandemics and heartbreak. With God in our hearts- the best is yet to come.
Margie! How beautiful and meaningful your comments and heartfelt response to our latest installment among these pages. I believe I can write for so many of our fellow readers that your perspective concerning “Jesus with skin on” will most definitely resonate with all of us and help propel us into the brave and even perhaps the most challenging world that awaits us. Jesus truly makes our lives worth living through the gifts of family and friends and we pray that those gifts will continue to grow and develop over the next twelve months. Happy New Year, Margie! The best is truly on its way!
How completely powerful and deep..soul searching read. Peace be with you and God bless us all.
The words “powerful” and “deep” could very well be the setting for our hopes and wishes for the New Year, Theresa! God bless you and Happy New Year!
God bless you always!
Well everyone… I am the one who said to the author, “I knew you would come.“ And then for the next several hours you played the most anointed and beautiful music melting peoples hearts and surrounding them with the love of God through the gift of music! I will be eternally grateful and so will my family.
THANK YOU, FATHER. How wonderful the memories we gather when we seek to serve the Lord Jesus in and through each other! May your life continue to be a beacon of life and hope and trust in the One who has never stopped breathing us into and maintaining this existence! May every day in 2021 be blessed for you, my friend.
I recently lost my sister and she said those exact words “I knew you would come”. Your story touched my heart in more ways than you can imagine. Thank for sharing that story and May continue to write many more inspirational stories.
Grief is the price we pay for loving and we think about it carefully, it is indeed a moderate price for such a great gift of life. Thank you for your comments and wonderful encouragement. May the New Year find us watching in prayer and vigilant in spirit. Happy New Year, Deborah, and Happy New Year!
Thank you again for another wonderful reflection. Its so appreciated to have a source for stories that direct your thoughts to a level of deeper contemplation. I look forward to these little inspirational stories. They provide illumination in and otherwise dark world of media garbage that invokes no contemplation at all.
Brother, as we move forward into yet another instalment of the Great Plan God has for all of us, I wish you the very best in all things spiritual and lively in 2021. It is clear to all that the Almighty certain not finished with us yet. May your thoughts be centered on Him who loves us with an everlasting Love. Happy New Year!