"Something Good is Going to Come From This"

Last evening was the visitation for our friend Jill who passed away on Saturday. If you’ve followed my blog the last few days, you’ve read the story.

The visitation was a wonderful tribute to the woman Jill was. We arrived a few minutes after the visitation started, around 4pm, and there was already a line of people backed up to just inside the door. For the rest of night, at least not until after 9pm, the line did not get any shorter. There were so many people there to pay tribute to Jill and to reach out to her family! Most people had to wait in line almost two hours to get to the family!

After we talked with Brian, Alex and the rest of their family, Zach went to sit in the pew behind Alex. He wanted to be there for his buddy. Their friend Gary from their soccer team joined him. The next time I looked over, another friend of theirs was sitting there too. Pretty soon, the whole pew behind Alex was filled with boys there to support him. It brought tears to my eyes…seeing those boys doing what they could to help Alex through this most difficult time in his life.

Ali, Zach and I stayed until around 9:20 p.m. There were still people in line at that point. Brian, Alex and the rest of the family had to be so exhausted…being there for over 5 hours…greeting people, allowing people to reach out to them with their condolances, working through their emotions, and even for just standing for that long! My heart went out to them. I know they were glad to see so many people there to honor Jill, and were probably a little overwhelmed with the outpouring of love they experienced!

On our way home, Zach said something pretty profound. He was quiet for a short time, but when he broke the silence, he said, “Something good is going to come from this.” (meaning Jill’s death) His statement halted everything else that was running through my mind. I said back to him, “Yes, buddy, you’re right. Something good IS going to come from this. We just don’t know what it is yet, but God does. That’s a great attitude to have, Zach.”

I can’t say enough how amazing Jill was as a person, a mother, a wife, a friend, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a cousin, a woman! We all miss her so much…and it’s only been a week since this tragedy happened! Today is her funeral. It will be a difficult day emotionally. I’m trying to keep in the forefront of my mind Zach’s words and trust God that “something good is going to come from this.” Please pray for Jill’s family today for an extra measure of God’s peace, comfort and love.

Love,
Julie