Warm Winds Wind

Currently it is a time of life for me, that is huddled with the loss of friends and family. Two years and two days ago I recieved a very concerned phone call from my son informing me that his soon to be father-in-law had fallen from the roof of their fifth wheel trailer found by a neighbor who called 911. While no one knows exactly why he fell, or if there were any other circumstances, Mike's injuries took his life a day and a half later.

Just a few weekends before, Mike, his wife Linda, their daugther Melissa, our son Bryce, Carrie and I found ourselves shoulder to shoulder on an excursion up to Julian in their truck to explore some venues for our kid's wedding. Our two family's lives were happily winding around eachother's with a sweetness and fragrance that exceeded my prayers for our boy. He had found the lady of his dreams and we beleived her to be the beautiful answer to our prayers, a Godly lady with strength and gentleness. As we continued up the winding roads to Julian, our hearts grew with ardent anticipation and peace. Our times together were always peppered with rauchous laughter and memorable moments, this trip would be no different. We checked out several venues for the blessed union, settling on a place called "Angel's Landing", and indeed, its stunning veiw of meadow, valley and mountains rising in the background reminded us that Angels had landed in our lives, filling it with the blessed touch of heaven. We were totally unaware of the more immediate event which would soon rock our world and tranform, for eternity, our hearts.

While casually growing together, our two families were driven even closer as they asked me to help them plan Mike's memorial winding up, yet another mountain excursion together. With the strength of our Lord, it was well attended in another local venue viewing the hills and nature that he so loved to mountain bike in. The lives of many of our friends were now linked with the lives of the Chamney's in an event that changed all of ours.

We visited the peaceful and glorious mountain spot where we spread Mike's ashes yesterday, both families in their entirety. The air was crisp and the wind cool, but the sun's blazing warmth was powerful. The hawks, bluebirds and woodpeckers winged thier way through the wind and brilliant cerulian skies. Yet as we stood there in memory, touched with sadness at Mike's absence, moments of laughter of some of his antics, sharing the things we knew he loved to do, we celebrated; The wind warming as it wound around us.

No one would say that this part of the journey has been painless, not one of us would wish such things on anyone else, but for us, it is where we are and has shaped who we are. The end of Psalm 33 says:

We wait in hope for the Lord. He is our strength and our shield. In Him, our hearts rejoice for we trust His holy name. May Your unfailing love rest upon us, oh Lord, even as we put our hope in You.

In times like these when the warm winds wind through our lives while a form of darkness surrounds them, we know where hope can found. We know who holds life in the balance and will carry us through our deepest struggles. May Your unfailing love rest upon us, oh Lord, even as we put our hope, in You.