Because He Lives

Last night was Emily and Bryan's sweet wedding and I'll admit I teared up a bit...you can't listen to Emily's mom or Taylor give speeches and not cry. You can tell they really love that girl. I am thankful for Emily. We haven't been the longest of friends or the closest...and lord knows not all of her long time friends are incredibly fond of me, so it would not be surprising for her to omit me from her life as well but...she didn't and she hasn't and I love her for that. Thanks for giving me a chance Em and you and Bryan are going to be lasting a good long while...like forever. He is so YOU! He just kept coming up to me and thanking me for reading in the wedding...really? I thought it was like AN HONOR to be chosen to read and you're thanking ME? haha, it was really sweet =) I think you should keep him EM!

Okay so I had my little seat up on stage by the piano player (AKA: Pam Elliot, who sits right next to us in church EVERY sunday) so we chatted it up (she's really good at playing and chatting too). Well she started playing "Be Thou My Vision" and I leaned over to tell her that was my SECOND favorite hymn. She then asked the obvious question, "What's your first favorite?" and I answered "Because He Lives". Strangely she looked at me and said, "That's because your mama was singing that when you were born.".......She doesn't know it, but I started to cry a little about that. She just kept right on playing and I quickly dried it up. I don't know why that was emotional to me? I just love my mama...and that song...and the part where it talks about a newborn baby...and I can't wait to sing that when my baby is born one day...I guess all of that combined teared me up a bit. Anyway, I just came home and listened to that song. It's one of the few hymns that make a movie projector go off in your head, you can just SEE it:

God sent His son,
they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love,
heal and forgive;
He lived and died
to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there
to prove
my Savior lives!

Because He lives,
I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives,
all fear is gone;
Because I know
He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

How sweet to hold
a newborn baby,
And feel the pride
and joy he gives;
But greater still
the calm assurance:
This child can face
uncertain days
because He Lives!

Because He lives,
I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives,
all fear is gone;
Because I know
He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

And then one day,
I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final
war with pain;
And then, as death
gives way to vict'ry,
I'll see the lights of glory
and I'll know He lives!

Because He lives,
I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives,
all fear is gone;
Because I know
He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

**Please pray for my Grannie. She has suffered several mini strokes and now has been diagnosed with positional vertigo...which means every time she moves she gets so dizzy that at times she even passes out and has terrbile headaches. Pray for a treatment.