Our Last Days Together
My husband David was bigger than life… a beautiful character. He loved life. He loved to give. He was dedicated. When he took on a cause, he followed it through, never faltering. David loved to work on his computers. He especially loved Long Island and his work at Town Hall.
David was never daunted, even in the face of death. He never worried about things, he did something about them. I did the worrying of the family.
Facing death, David turned to God. Instead of just being comforted and helped to die, David took on a supernatural faith. He learned from scripture that it is God’s will to heal; it is not His will that His children die prematurely. That faith made the last month of his life and our relationship a testimony to the power of God’s love and acceptance. God also gave me a supernatural faith and a steadiness and peace that belies all human understanding. David was operated on on November 20th. That is when we found out about the cancer. They just closed him up again. He died on December 9th.
During that period, we did not fear, we did not mourn, we prayed for a miracle. We went to church in Lowell together. We took 2 trips to Maine and David worked at his beloved Town Hall. On his last Sunday, he came to our small house church at Lorraine’s. We prayed many times a day. We prayed at meals. We read healing scriptures together. We savored each moment. There was no panic, no strain. We were blessed with a peace that could only have come from God.
There Was a Miracle
God didn’t grant the miracle we asked for. But looking back, I see that we did get a miracle. The love, strength, and peace we had those last days was a miracle! God brought us so close together and united in purpose and love. Though most people would view this period as a terribly stressful time, I will look back on it as a blessing.
In those last days, David didn’t worry about details. Amazingly, he never once mentioned anything that was still to be done at Town Hall. He concentrated on the eternal. He had faith to the very end for healing and I believe that that faith will have its reward. God has a kingly task for David in heaven. Perhaps he is right now in charge of all of heaven’s computers!
I think if David were here, he would have a message for us all. Accept God’s love, don’t resist it. Quit running away. The things we chase after aren’t really that important when we are faced with the crises of life. And if God is with us, he can get us through those crises.
It is my prayer that you will all make the choice that David did .. but make it now and not when you are in the midst of a crisis. God wants to help you with everything in your life. Turn your life over to Him. You will never regret it!
David ended each prayer with four words – “Thank You Jesus. Amen.” I will never forget the sweetness of his tone.
As his partner in life, I will miss him so much …. as will all of you. But let us never forget the lesson of his life and especially of how it ended – not in defeat, but in the glory of God’s love and peace. I urge you to accept that love right now.
There’s a little prayer printed in this program. I said a prayer like this 11 years ago and it changed my life. I know that David is in heaven right now and I know where I am going when I die. It doesn’t depend on my goodness – thank God it doesn’t! It depends on God’s grace, his forgiveness, and his love. No one can force you to do this. It took desperation and 47 years of God tugging on my heart strings for me to succumb. I urge you to say such a prayer from your heart and watch what happens to your life.
I LOVE YOU ALL!
DLH – June 23, 1996
VFW Hall Long Island, ME