My deepest condolences. May these few words from the Holy Scriptures bring you comfort in your time of grief...
John 11:32-45
32 And so Mary, when she arrived where Jesus was and caught sight of him, fell at his feet, saying to him: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 Jesus, therefore, when he saw her weeping and the Jews that came with her weeping, groaned in the spirit and became troubled; 34 and he said: “Where have YOU laid him?” They said to him: “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus gave way to tears. 36 Therefore the Jews began to say: “See, what affection he used to have for him!” 37 But some of them said: “Was not this [man] that opened the eyes of the blind man able to prevent this one from dying?”
38 Hence Jesus, after groaning again within himself, came to the memorial tomb. It was, in fact, a cave, and a stone was lying against it.39 Jesus said: “TAKE the stone away.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to him: “Lord, by now he must smell, for it is four days.”40 Jesus said to her: “Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Therefore they took the stone away. Now Jesus raised his eyes heavenward and said: “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 True, I knew that you always hear me; but on account of the crowd standing around I spoke, in order that they might believe that you sent me forth.” 43 And when he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice: “Laz´a·rus, come on out!” 44The [man] that had been dead came out with his feet and hands bound with wrappings, and his countenance was bound about with a cloth. Jesus said to them: “Loose him and let him go.”
45 Therefore many of the Jews that had come to Mary and that beheld what he did put faith in him;
Please go to the following link for more information regarding the Hope expressed in this passage
http://www.jw.org/en/publications/books/dead-live-again-tract/dead-live-again
My heartfelt condolences go out to Holly and Guy in their loss. Norine was a wonderful woman whom I have some admirable memories of over the years.
Some early memories of her include visits to her home in Pekin during college, after April and I met. Norine was so passionate about her garden there and taught me a few things early on that came in handy when I later became passionate about gardening as an adult. She was also a marvelous conversationalist and entertainer. We shared some wonderful conversations across mulitple topics over the years including politics, which was, if nothing else, a fun and entertaining exchange between the two of us! : ) We always walked away from those exchanges respecting each other and loving the passion and views we both brought to the table.
Other memories include sharing meals together both at our home in Frankfort and at Holly's home in Peoria. Norine was a chef at heart, and always had complimentary things to say about the various foods served at those meals. Early on, Norine taught April a few things around the kitchen which I now reap the benefits of on a regular basis! : )
Perhaps most memorable for me, were late memories of witnessing four generations of family together. Daughter (Savannah), mom (April), grandma (Holly), and great grandmother (Norine) all together and interacting with each other. Such a rare thing to witness and be part of these days and I count it as a blessing.
My final memory of her was praying over her in the hospital a couple of months ago during a visit, and watching the Spirit of God come over her in a calming sense, taking away the distress she was under at the time. The peace brought upon her at that moment was a reassurance that she was in God's hands all the way to the end. And now, imagine the celebration as she enter's God's presence for eternity and is re-united with her dear husband Don and daughter April. Praise and glory be to God for his work in Norine's life, and the wonderful memories she leaves behind.
Paul Nicol
Sorry to hear of your loss, Don and Norine were always very kind to us. They encouraged us and loved on us as we prepared for ministry.
