As we remember Joshua this year, I've been blessed by something I forgot. I forgot that I put the above verse in the photo book I made of Joshua back in 2011. At church, Pastor James has been preaching through I Peter and preached on these verses 3-4 weeks ago. It's been really cool to think specifically how the inheritance that we will one day experience and that Joshua is already experiencing is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, (unlike the fake flower arrangement that I bought last year that went missing!) And then to look through the photo book today and surprisingly see those verses...people wonder how God speaks to us today, that's how. Four years later and God is still comforting us with His Word in our grief as He has been this whole journey. Blessed be the Lord. We have the living hope of heaven where there will be no death, no sin, and every moment will be as exhilarating as that first sweet reunion.
This year I was at a loss for what to do to celebrate Joshua. Like last year, enough time has passed that it didn't seem to make sense to do anything big and it was again a weekday so I figured I'd just get something for the grave at Michaels and get some balloons and we'd just go to the cemetery and out to eat. But I felt like I should do something different to make it special (other than getting all the same color balloons so the kids wouldn't fight over them). Not coming up with anything, it was comforting to have the tradition from past years to default to. But God (one of Martin's favorite phrases), provided me with direction and ideas just in time to make it special.
God lead me to pick up Ellen Vaughn's book Radical Gratitude this week after having finished only about half of it this summer and was reminded of the idea to place remembrance rocks as a memorial to God's faithfulness (a la Joshua 4:1-7). So while I was at Michaels getting the flower arrangement for this year, I also got some polished rocks and a painting pen and we all made remembrance rocks to place at Joshua's grave. Dylan's says "Joshua," mine says I Peter 1:3-4, Lydia's says "Love," Martin's says "Hope" and we made one for Levi that has his name on it (since he doesn't have a tree on Joshua's stone). I read the passage from Joshua at our Joshua's grave and then we put our rocks down (while narrowing escaping a mishap with the paint and Martin's bible).
I actually couldn't do a lot of the things we did last year. Our Michaels no longer has someone in house making arrangements nor do did they have grave arrangements pre-made. So I just got some flowers on my own and then some orange ribbon and made bows for the flowers. Much cheaper, so when these go the way of the wind I won't be so upset.
We actually wanted the balloons to go the way of the wind. We sang Happy Birthday and did a balloon release and by the time we left all but one had made it through the leafless tree near Joshua's grave. We decided to go later in the afternoon than we did last year and then go out for dinner (instead of lunch as we did last year). By the time we left the cemetery it was getting pretty dark but we had a nice sunset/moonrise time there.
We ate at Chili's again but not the same one as last year since that one went out of business. Chili's was having a family night and I had coupons for free kids meals so that's where it seemed we should go. Came home to find these flowers from some friends by our door. Also got some nice texts/emails/phone calls. It's so nice when folks remember.
Next year Joshua's birthday will be on Thanksgiving again so things will look a little different. I think the mantra will be doing something but not stressing over what. God provides even that. I just now realized that even in the passage in Joshua, God provided the way that He wanted them to remember. Just like He did for me today. And in His mercy and grace, God will bring things to mind and cause me to forgot things (like forgetting about that verse so that I would see it anew this year) as a way of bringing me comfort. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
