When God called my mom home in January of this year, a dear soul shared this quote with me and I in turn want to share it with you.

“There is nothing that can replace the absence of someone dear to us, and one should not even attempt to do so. One must simply hold out and endure it. At first that sounds very hard, but at the same time it is also a great comfort. For to the extent the emptiness truly remains unfilled one remains connected to the other person through it. It is wrong to say that God fills the emptiness. God in no way fills it but much more leaves it precisely unfilled and thus helps us preserve -- even in pain -- the authentic relationship. Further more, the more beautiful and full the remembrances, the more difficult the separation. But gratitude transforms the torment of memory into silent joy. One bears what was lovely in the past not as a thorn but as a precious gift deep within, a hidden treasure of which one can always be certain.”

― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I am so deeply saddened to hear of the sudden loss of this wonderful man, husband, father, and friend. The Royse family became such a prominent part of the beginning of my walk with Jesus. He and his family exemplified the Christian values that became the core of who I am. I feel very blessed to have been able to reconnect and spend time with him and his family over the past year. I'll always remember his dedication to the church and his family, his sense of humor, and how he was a good friend to all.