Tough week…

I love that Jesus said “For I am with you always, even until the end of the age.” I love His promise that He will never leave me nor forsake me. I really had to lean on that knowledge this past week.

My aunt’s boyfriend, Jeff, who I have mentioned in a previous post, passed away last Monday. Getting the news was like a punch in the stomach. Memories of our last visit with them came flooding back, and it was all I could do to hold together until my students went home. I will always remember Jeff’s optimism, even in the face of terminal cancer. He always talked as if he had beaten the cancer already. It was wonderful to see how much he truly cared for my aunt.

Then this past Sunday, another great man, Mike, passed away from brain cancer. When I was growing up, Mike was like a second dad to me at church. He always planted a big kiss on the top of my head when I hugged him, and in every picture, I’m either on his shoulders or his back.

Both of these guys were the kinds of guys who you could spend 5 minutes with, and come away a better person. So friendly, warm, and full of energy and life. They’re the kinds of guys that I want to be like someday.