From Mourning To Morning...

"It's another day, that the Lord has kept me. I could have been dead sleeping in my grave, but you made death step back and behave. It's another day, that the Lord has kept me."  My Dad's favorite song to sing.

Hi Sweetie,

You know the expression, "when it rains, it pours", our family was in a downpour for a few years. My mom's youngest brother-Ellis passed away in June 2008, then her other brother-Ernest passed away in October 2009, then her oldest sister-Janie passed away in July 2011, then her closest cousin-Yvonne, who is like a sister passed away August 2011, and then her husband-Curtis (my dad) passed away February 2012 and then her sister-in-law-Betty Jo passed away August 2013. That's just in the immediate family, there were so many cousins that passed along the way as well.

With that being said, we all have a time of mourning in our lives, sometimes it last longer than we would like, but by the Grace of God, He brings us through all things and we hold on to the promise that "joy will come in the morning" Psalm 30:5 and "those that sow in tears shall reap in joy" Psalm 126:5, God's word is true and it brings such comfort during those times. With each trial that we encounter, it is an opportunity to grow in the knowledge and love of the Lord.

Even though as a family we all grieved, it was my mom's endurance through it all that was truly inspiring. She lost (for lack of a better word) her brothers, her sisters and her husband and people would always say, "she's so strong" but she would be the first to say, "it was the strength of the Lord Jesus that carried her through that" because it was a difficult season.

It's so refreshing to know that we are in our morning and reaping joy. In April 2012, my Uncle Ellis son got married to his sweetie (Sean & Alexandria Crawford) and Yvonne's son got married in June 2013 to his sweetheart (Dexter & Kimberly Wimbish) and this month my sister Devonne & Calvin Slaton will welcome their second child into the family. We are expecting a boy and his name will be Collin Curtis Slaton, YAY!!!, looking forward to meeting this little guy.

Only God can restore what has been taken away and He knows when and how to do it. Yes, we miss our loved ones, but we can rejoice because we have the assurance that they are in the presence of God. So, don't let your MORNING pass you by, everyday with Jesus is a time of rejoicing. Even in the tough times, choose to REJOICE!!!! The joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

Ecclesiaties 3:1 "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven".

Until next time, you are BLESSED!