just like that ... six months have past

if you're from alabama, you'll understand this post a little better!

six months ago today the worst tornado event occurred all over this wonderful state! the images are still as heart breaking as when i first saw them. the tornadoes left my area in a power outage for 5 days for me, give or take for others. i have some clients, family and friends who work for our wonderful utility company who worked like no one before! a huge thank you to their families for sharing! my own brother, who works for my county's water dept, worked like a poor ole crazy man!

also, six months ago my precious papa had a MAJOR surgery - yes, at about midnight during the first night of the power outage when there was very limited communication b/c of lines being down and such.

i can't believe it's been six months! so much has happened since then!

and, so much is happening still! i have lots to update soon i promise!

my last post was about my pastor being so sick. he passed away Friday, October 14 on the last word of the last verse of "Amazing Grace" that his wife and 4 children were singing to him as they were standing around his hospital bed. precious precious precious!

heart breaks

are never easy. i guess that's why they call it "breaks". as i type this my pastor is dying. it's terribly sad. his family is such a close family, he's been pastor of my church for almost 37 year (out of my church's 58 years), and half of his family are hard workers still in our church.

i never knew how to treat or be treated by a pastor that wasn't my own father. bro richard is like a grandfather to me. no, i haven't always liked things he's said, done or wanted done. that's human of us all. he's such an amazing man! a strong fighter, faithful, loving, serving, smiling man.

he's 75, fighting his 2 battle of renal cell carcinoma. he developed a bleeding ulcer and things haven't been the same since late july early august.

they hospital called his family in sunday morning early, the day of our church's homecoming service, and he's not been responsive since.

he's the first real pastor i've had since my dad. my old church had called a pastor after my dad left, but it was so hard for me b/c of everything that had happened with my family and church at one time. i felt he was a miserable replacement of my dad. i really think God moving to NSBC and away from the church where i, literally, grew up in was a blessing for me and WBC.

bro richard has been such a silent, strong, faithful, loving, smiling, praising, teaching, passionate pastor and i'm going to miss him so much. at least i know i won't be alone in the sadness. my whole church family is close, and i know that loosing him is going to affect us in many ways.

please, if you're a believer, pray for my precious pastor, his family, our church family and friends ... this is not easy.

with sadness, yet joy ... knowing where he is going, and just thinking of how wonderful his first day of Heaven is going to be thrills me and makes me somewhat jealous.

joy comes in the morning ....
britt