I had one of those hind-sight experiences in the last couple of weeks that has me knowing that God knew exactly what I needed. Two weeks ago, I got a call from my sister Julie. I could tell that she was not doing well. That day, she had gotten on a bus to start a four week tour in Florida. By lunch time on the first day after leaving the Minneapolis/St.Paul area, midway through Wisconsin, Julie realized that she was not well. The tour stopped the first night in the Chicago area. So she was asking if I could pick her up and work with her kids to help her get home. It was an easy thing for me to do. By the next morning, arrangements had been made for her to get home. I got to spend several hours with Julie, helping her pack up her things and then drove her into Wisconsin to meet her daughter Staci and her husband Aaron. I am so thankful for those hours that I got to spend with Julie. It was clear that she wasn't well. She was a bit confused and complained of blurry vision, a headache and just not feeling well. In spite of that, we had a wonderful time talking our kids and grandchildren. She was excited to be welcoming her 5th Great Grandchild in March. Julie was so excited to have found a dress that her daughter Chrissy had worn and she gifted it to this new baby, who will be Chrissy's first grandchild. She even talked about finding a picture of Chrissy wearing that dress. Julie talked about all of her 19 grandchildren and her (soon to be) 5 great grandkids and about her 4 daughters. It was so good to talk, face to face. We had frequent phone conversations, but actually being in the same room, was so good. Staci and Aaron brought Julie directly to the hospital, upon getting back to the Twin Cities. Because of Covid, her kids couldn't be with her. It was discovered that she had indeed had a serious stroke. And the recently diagnosed liver cancer was progressing much quicker than expected. Her girls made arrangement to bring her home. Sadly, she was only home a few days before her death.
I have been talking about going to Minnesota to visit her since Ken died. However Covid was still very much around and our family was still being cautious about exposure. By the fall of 2021, I was actually trying to plan a visit with Julie, but her schedule was full. Also, she had not been feeling very well and I thought I would wait until we could really enjoy the visit. I knew that she had several trips planned so thought we would just delay until this spring, when the weather was better. But God knew that I really needed to have this last time with Julie.
I searched my photos for the last time we got together (just the two of us) and it was May of 2019. She made a trip to Chicago to see her granddaughter Angela. We had a couple hours to visit and I snapped this picture. We did see each other in September of 2019 at a small family reunion that was held in Iowa. There were many people there and we didn't get much time to visit.
Pictures are so important to me, especially family photos. If you could see around my home, you would know this! I treasure each and every photo and I know the kids are pretty sick of me always taking pictures. The next picture of Julie and I was taken in September off 1954. Newborn photos were not taken at all. Because I am the 5th child in the family, there were not many pictures taken at all. So I am so thankful that my dad decided to take a series of pictures of me as a newborn on the front steps of our home. There is one of my mom holding me, one of my sister Karen holding me and this precious picture of (soon to be) 8 year old Julie, holding me.
In the car on the way to Wisconsin, Julie was dozing and clearly just working at getting through the time until she could get home. We were talking about how much we loved being with our grandchildren and then she dozed off to sleep. She suddenly woke and announced "you know, I was really close to her". I was startled and asked who she was talking about. I wondered if she was talking about our mom. She was always very close to her. Julie seemed surprised that I didn't know what she was talking about, and answered, "Well, Aunt Anna, of course". We had a brief conversation about Aunt Anna and Julie seemed surprised that I wasn't close to her. Aunt Ann was my mom's aunt who raised her and her sisters after their mother died. She was certainly a "grandmother" to all of the children of those girls, that included me. However, Aunt Anna died in 1956 when I was 2 years old. Other than the stories of others, I really don't have many memories of her. I am sure that Julie was thinking of all the loved ones that she was longing to see again. And that moment, it was Aunt Anna.
Grandpa and Aunt Anna were taken care of by my Mom and Dad. Julie grew up with them and it makes perfect sense that she would have been close to Aunt Anna. I just had never thought about that!
This photo from 1956 is (left to right), my mom (Nona Johnson), Eunice Ries, Aunt Anna Toensing, Arnold Toensing (their father), Phyllis Turnquist, Beatrice Nelson.
I just love how personal and real Jesus is when you have an experience like this. It would have been much harder for me to lose Julie, without this unexpected visit. I almost feel as if she got on that bus specifically to see me. Those conversations, the things we talked about, will stay with me. I didn't know just how much I needed to make this connection. But Jesus did. So now, I am at peace, knowing that Julie is not sick any more. She was at home, surrounded by all those she held so close and loved so much, when she died. I am thankful for the peace that Jesus brings me, knowing that He holds the number of our days in His hands. And for the hope and joy and comfort for all who grieve.
Jesus, thank you for knowing exactly what I needed. Holy Spirit, please bring your comfort and peace to Elise, Chrissy, Sara and Staci and all who grieve the lose of Julie. Bring your assurance, hope and joy to help us remember your promises. Give us all courage and boldness to reach out and support others who have lost loved ones. Amen
What a beautiful tribute to your amazing sister, Lyn! <3
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