The Living, The Dying, The Dead, And Death Conquered

Aunt Cathy and Uncle Mike stayed a little longer this morning than they usually do but my sisters and I had to leave before they left! :( We had agreed to clean a house a few miles away from here. I was only able to be there for about an hour because I had to come back and clean our neighbors house. We cleaned windows there this morning. It amazed me how long it took to clean them! We had to take out the storm windows and wash the tracks, wash the windows, wash the storm windows and put it all back together. It doesn't sound like much but it was a pretty big job. We also ironed the drapes and put them back up.
I was only home long enough to practice my violin for a little while, (the first time I have touched it all week and I have a lesson tomorrow!) take a shower and get ready to go to a funeral. A man my dad met through his jail ministry died from a heart attach last Friday. He was only 48. It was a strange funeral to me. It was a really rough group of people. Dad said it was a group that every preacher dreams of being able to preach to. This man had gotten saved about four or five years ago and his step-son a couple years before that. Other than that I don't think there were any other Christians there. It is sad to see how messed up peoples lives are. The step-son got saved the very first time dad preached in the jail six years ago. Dad had worked with him ever since. He lives in Indianapolis now so we don't see him all that often. He has taken this very hard because he was very close to his step-father.
After the funeral we went to see a friend who is dying of cancer. He is only 35. I can't believe how skinny he is. He was always very thin but he is wasting away now. Dad told him he doesn't know what God has planned but either way it turns out will be a victory. If God heals him, it will be victory of the disease. But if God calls him Home it is absolute victory because Christ has already conquered death! He kept saying "That's right, that's right!" As a Christian life is so wonderful and full of joy, but there is such sorrow too.