Great Is Thy Faithfulness

First of all, I just want to say thanks to such great friends who have reached out to my family, my whole family, during this tough time of losing our sweet "Dearmom" so tragically. After the initial shock wore off, we all considered it a blessing from the Father that she is now happier than she has ever been and we know that "Boppie" was standing at the pearly gates waiting on her, cowbell in hand.

It was amazing to see the turn out at visitation on Thursday, to see how many people loved my grandmother and my family enough to wait, on average (from what we were told) an hour (some even more) in the monsoon to give their condolences and let us know how much they loved us and that we were being lifted up in prayer. It was a true testimony of the love you get reflects the love you give. My grandmother, and my grandfather, were just amazing people with amazing hearts and amazing love for others, that can only come from the Father himself. They both instilled amazing qualities in my mom, her two sisters and one brother. They have left an incredible legacy of the Gospel that is being carried out and will be carried out as long as there is Stone blood in our veins.

I want to leave you with the lyrics to one of my favorite hymns, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." This song means more than you'll ever know to my family and it reflects the immeasurely love and grace of God. Through its words, we find comfort that God is the same, yesterday, today and forever and that is mercy flowing unending. He will never fail us, not matter how many times we fail him and his glory is revealed not only through his creation around us, but through his creation of us, failures and all.

The summer of 1997, my dad had a heart attack. He told us later that while he was in the emergency room, all he could hear was this hymn. It reminded him, and us, of God's divine ways of revealing himself to us, in the most desperate times of need. Five years later, it was played at my sister's wedding. Six years later, we sang it at my grandmother's funeral. Praise God for his faithfulness!

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!