A Life well lived...

So, here we are, Jescel and I, in the philippines. its the 2nd day after we arrived, and we have been greeting people that have come to pay respect to the family since her mother's recent trip home to be with the Lord Jesus. its only monday here and with the funeral being held on sunday, i am sure many more friends and family will come --especially her mother's family from Pampanga, which is some distance from here. we are slowly finding out small details from others about the last few days of her life. jescel's mother was a very strong woman that sacrificed much so that jescel could have many opportunities that many here only dream about, yet for some never come true. her father and mother,we believe, thought it would be best that jescel not return home just before her (unexpected) passing. perhaps this was her (their) way of sparing her daughter the pain of seeing what cancer and the treatments had done to her physical body.

Her mother was as strong as she could be up to the very end, only wanting to spare Jescel from the pain of seeing/remembering her in this state of being. I like to think that I know my wife very well, but i know that mama knows her daughter even better than i do! And i know that God knows His great plans for mama, and little-by-little we are finding out that she REALLY came to terms with the fact that this was her time to move on to be with the Lord. mama surrendered to the Lord the rest of her life, and continued being strong even when it meant letting go -- of a life well-lived.

I have heard it said that its not how you start but it's how you finish, and i believe that now more than ever. Mama just lived a simple life, raising her family, lived one-day-at-a-time and gave especially when it hurt to give. she did this so that her daughter, her husband and family and friends could be blessed. the icing on the cake was that through these circumstances she had prayed to receive Jesus, which she did so now we know without a shadow of a doubt that one day we shall be reunited. death has lost its sting for those that have become a new creation in Christ.

we encourage our friends and family to press on, draw close to God today...and live a life, WELL LIVED!!!

In HIM,

with love...joseph & jescel

PS: love you 'MA!!!