Dad, who became a Christian when I was 15, after years of rejecting the Lord (wonderful Dad that he was) and even telling us we couldn't read the Bible in the house.

He read this somewhere and it affected him greatly and he told me to do this: Practice the presence of God. I have been really working on this for the last several months. I thank him for that. Coming from him, it meant especially much.

Denny, my brother, once a bit of a rebel, but when he came back, he came back all the way. I remember him singing this song. I think he and Nancy and I sang it as a trio, but I remember his face when we sang it, his eyes closed and very sincere.

My stubborn will at last hath yielded;
I would be Thine, and Thine alone;
And this the prayer my lips are bringing,
Lord, let in me Thy will be done.

Refrain

Sweet will of God, still fold me closer;
Till I am wholly lost in Thee;
Sweet will of God, still fold me closer,
Till I am wholly lost in Thee.

I’m tired of sin, footsore and weary,
The darksome path hath dreary grown,
But now a light has ris’n to cheer me;
I find in Thee my Star, my Sun.

Refrain

Thy precious will, O conqu’ring Savior,
Doth now embrace and compass me;
All discords hushed, my peace a river,
My soul, a prisoned bird, set free.

Refrain

Shut in with Thee, O Lord, forever,
My wayward feet no more to roam;
What pow’r from Thee my soul can sever?
The center of God’s will my home.

And last but not least, Ken, my dear husband, now with the One he loved. Two verses (beside the Fruit of the Spirit verses) that felt were supremely important and many times shared them with me:

"Without faith it is impossible to please God."
"To him that knows to do good and does it not, to him it is sin."

And I remember his voice, his tenor voice, singing, "Jesus Is the Sweetest Name I Know."

They were all three strong men, imperfect men, but committed to sticking to it even when life got rough...and believe me, life got rough.

Just thought I'd share how blessed I am to have had such people in my life. I hope there will be things to say about me that are worthwhile when I fly away!