I am in disbelief that my sister went to be with the Lord exactly two years ago tomorrow. Time is a crazy thing. So is death. It is so hard to comprehend, but I know where she is and that immensely lessens my grief. I couldn't decide which thing to leave out so I am giving y'all a couple writings about her. I know it will be long, but I would appreciate you reading them. The first one is what I said at her funeral. The second is what I said at her 1 year anniversary. The 3rd is a song I wrote f0r her. Here is also a link to the poem I wrote a couple weeks ago: anxiety.
The Eulogy
I’m Tricia, Tracie’s Big sister, as well as Nick and Taylor’s big sister. Every Christmas card, as many of you may remember, we have all dressed alike. There will always be the 4 of us. We were very close. We always played together when we were little, and as young adults, we’ve remained close. There are few families I know of who have a bond like ours, so while this is very hard, and I don’t fully understand the reason this happened, I still am at peace with it. One thing I would like to share with y’all is an analogy which has come to me in the last week. Many of you may be familiar with Carrie Underwood’s song “Jesus Take the Wheel.” These lyrics seem a little hard to swallow in light of recent events. However, if you really think about it, these lyrics are true and can be applied to Tracie. Although we feel Tracie was stolen from us way too soon, we all should find comfort knowing that Jesus DID take the wheel during Tracie’s accident. When Tracie lost control of her car, she easily could have hit on-coming traffic and hurt other people. But Jesus took her wheel and guided her out of everyone else’s way. Not only did Jesus take the wheel in Tracie’s car that day, Jesus also took the wheel in Tracie’s life. Instead of putting her through pain, or putting us through anymore unnecessary pain, He took her immediately. He didn’t allow her to suffer, which also kept us from suffering more. By taking her quickly, He has brought peace to our hearts. For us to have the hope of seeing Tracie again, we need to give the wheel of our lives to Jesus. This is another reason why this song is important for us to remember.
“Jesus take the wheel,
Take it from my hands,
Cause I can't do this all my own,
I'm letting go,
So give me one more chance,
To save me from this road I'm on,
Jesus take the wheel.”
Tracie gave her wheel to Jesus and now she is safe in Heaven with our G’ma. I, too, have given my wheel to Jesus, and I know Tracie and I encourage everyone here to let Jesus take your wheel. I still miss my sister but since I KNOW she is in Heaven, I have the peace to know I will see her again someday.
1 Year Anniversary
The days following the accident were awful for me. I didn’t eat or sleep for days. During these days I was worrying about one thing. I was worried about Tracie’s salvation. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone goes to Heaven. Sure, some of you are thinking that “hey, Tracie was a good person, why wouldn’t she go to Heaven.” Well, I got news for you, even good people go to Hell. Getting into heaven is not about the good things you do in life… there is only one way to get into heaven. To accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior. In Romans 3:23-24 it says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”
Those few days after the accident I did question her salvation, until after about 3 days, God showed me that she had indeed given her life to Jesus and that she is in Heaven. After that I was able to eat, sleep, and actually function. I was able to praise God for taking Tracie home as opposed to wishing she were still here. Now, I do miss my sister very much, but I know I will see her again when I go home. I have given my life to Christ and now I know without a shadow of a doubt that I will be in Heaven to see Jesus and Tracie.
Do y’all know without a shadow of a doubt where you are going?
There is hope. That hope is Jesus. Everyone on earth in a sinner, including Tracie, including myself. We are all sinners, and for that none of us deserve to go to Heaven. That is why Jesus came to this earth as a baby. He could have just come down as a 30 year old man, but He had to come down as a baby so He could live His whole life blamelessly. Living a sinless life, Jesus then took up the cross and was nailed to it by our sin. He suffered the fires of Hell for us so we wouldn’t have to. Doing this He opened the gates of Heaven to all who give their lives to Him. In Galatians 2:20 It says “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Since I have been crucified with Christ by giving Him my life, when God looks down to see me He sees Jesus, because Jesus’ blood was shed for me and now covers me. This is why I will be able to go to Heaven. This is why Tracie was able to go to Heaven. This is how you can g
et to Heaven.The song I am about to play is called “Homesick.” This song is how I am feeling because I am sad, not because Tracie is dead, but because I am Homesick. I am Homesick because Heaven is my true home. Tracie is there waiting for me, with Jesus and others who came before her. If any of you feel Homesick for Heaven or want to know what it is like to feel Homesick for Heaven, just come talk to me afterwards, and I would be glad to share more with you.
I Miss Her
On a beautiful day
The conditions were right,
For a nice drive home
Not a cloud in sight!
And her car lost control
And despite all our prayers
The wreck took its toll.
I even miss out fights!
I miss our conversations
That lasted through the night!
How I miss my sister!
I miss my friend,
But even though she’s gone,
This is NOT the end!
I will see her again
When my life is through.
We’ll reunite in Heaven,
But still this is true:
I miss her!
How have two years gone by?
We only had eighteen years,
My, time sure does fly!
This couldn’t be more true!
We fought and we loved,
What else do sisters do?
I even miss out fights!
I miss our conversations
That lasted through the night!
How I miss my sister!
I miss my friend,
But even though she’s gone,
This is NOT the end!
I will see her again
When my life is through.
We’ll reunite in Heaven,
But still this is true:
I miss her!
But she’s still is alive!
For she is in Heaven
With our God Most High!
It is easy to do
Just accept Jesus as your Savior,
And let your love for Him be true!
Your devotion to Jesus in midst of such a trial always amazes me. But thank the Lord you found out she was saved. The poem at the end was beautiful.
ReplyDeleteLove you Tricia!