Prayers for Esther's family

[livetogarden]

Braeden's service is tomorrow, Tuesday, April 21 at 11AM Michigan time. I just thought I would post a reminder of the time so lots of us fellow ponders can be praying at that time for comfort for Braeden's family and friends.
Cath

[ponderer]

I'll be there in spirit.

[Bullfrog]

I have thought about that little man a lot. Even with the time to mentally prepare yourself for something like this it is still harder than anyone can imagine to face. I pray for the comfort of Esther and her family, we are all with you in spirit.

[Esther]

Funny Bullfrog you should use the title "little man". That is one of Dawn's pet names for him.

Thanks again for your concern and prayers. The hard part of the day is over and it all went well. I have written some paragraphs on another forum about the day and guess I could "cut and paste". But you know me, it kinda goes on and on. We'll see.

[Julles]

I'd like to read those words, Esther, if you feel up to it.

[livetogarden]

Me too, Esther. I have thought about you often today.
Hugs!!
Cath

[Bullfrog]

Funny Bullfrog you should use the title "little man". That is one of Dawn's pet names for him.

He faced a lot in the short time that he had on this earth and he deserves that title. I have wondered what my daughter would/will look like in heaven. Will she always be 13? I would really love to see the woman that she would have grown up to be.

[Julles]

Bullfrog, according to a book I just finished about talking to spirits, Talking to Heaven, those who pass on are met by family and loved ones, and helped to make the adjustment.  They can take any form they had during life, and some can go back to an earlier era, so your grandmother may appear as a child or young woman, not necessarily the old person you knew.  Of course, all injuries are healed.  It's supposed to be a wonderful, beautiful place with very intense colors and light, and there is a lot to do, similar to life here.  The spirits spend a lot of time watching over us, with the goal of helping us progress through life.  It helps them progress through where they are, too.  The idea is to reach enlightenment and goodness.

[Esther]

Bullfrog, that was a lovely way to think of Braeden. After Kevin called at 3 Saturday morning, Pete and I laid in bed asking those same questions that have been asked since the beginning of man. We had the deep doctrinal discussions, wondering about God and heaven. We as Christians are so restricted about the information about heaven as described in the Bible. There's not much there. Some think that folks in heaven know what's going on here on earth and may influence what happens or accompany us at times. There's nothing in the Bible like that but who knows? Pete has said that seeing there is no sorrow there, that they don't know what's happening here. But I wonder if God gives them a special ability to see and understand what is going on here. Maybe they don't have a part of them that feels sadness. The Bible speaks of God having emotions so I think it is just different than what we can understand. The other question we batted around is also about the age of those who have passed. My daughter Kristi died at just shy of 6 months and when you think about all the still born ones and aborted lives, heaven would be full of little ones. I don't think there would be aging in heaven as aging and death on earth came as the result of the sin of Adam and Eve. Yes, I know I ask the same thing. What would have happened if they hadn't sinned? I don't know.

Scripture says that "we will know as we are known" so sounds like we certainly will recognize each other. But on earth if I hadn't seen someone who died as a child, for instance Braeden, then if I were to see him 20 years from now, on earth, I wouldn't recognize him. So again, maybe we'll all wear nametags. My mom and Pete's mom and dad have passed. How would they know Braeden? They all died before he was born. ???? Maybe God pulls them all together to welcome and assist like Julles mentioned. Pastor Bob mentioned in his sermon that there are many mysteries on earth that we see and accept without question without understanding. So the same happens with spiritual things. Our problem is that we are trying to apply human/earthly understanding to the mind of God, two different things...........

[Esther]

You asked:

The family entered the sanctuary after everyone was seated and was seated in the front two rows. Then in came the closed little white casket, lined with a pale blue quilted fabric, surrounded by 6 firefighters and Ian. Ian sat down with us and then the fire chief and his people placed the casket. They lined up facing it and they all snapped off a sharp salute and the chief barked, "Short term fire fighter Braeden Burgess, we salute you."


We sang several songs about the greatness of our God and ended with Amazing Grace. Music often touches me deeply even during normal church services and I will tear up. I didn't think I would be able to sing but I DID. As I pictured my dad singing with tears rolling down his face, I drew on his strength to sing also. There maybe was a bit more vibrato to my voice than normal. Or was it just plain shaking??? I suspect so.

Pastor asked for comments from the mourners. My nephew works for Spectrum so has clearance to enter any of the rooms there. He would visit Dawn and Braeden frequently. One day he went to visit and found Kevin with Braeden. Dawn must have had a cold so wasn't there. They all talked a while and Braeden wasn't feeling very well so mostly dozed during that time. When it came time for Jeff to leave, Braeden came to a bit and Jeff asked if there was anything he wanted. He said, "Can we pray for my mom?" Here's a little dying three year old concerned for his mom enough to ask for prayer. He knew if they prayed, his mommy would get better and be able to come back and be with him.

Several others talked, including one of Braeden's nurses. She told of the privilege that is was to be a help to Kevin, Dawn, Braeden and the kids during the past two years. She told how people came to his room to minister to them and went away having been ministered to instead. There were 12 nurses there who came an hour drive to his funeral. I was amazed.

The pastor of our church had been Kevin's pastor in his teens and had married Kevin and Dawn. He was asked to say a few words and pray. It was such a struggle for him as he has experienced laying his own stillborn grandson in the grave and now faces with his family the sadness of having just welcomed the birth of a darling little girl who has heart disease and only one kidney and it in not functioning completely.  He mentioned that he was so proud to know the Burgesses and commended them on the wonderful testimony they had displayed during the past two years.

Then a young man sang the Jeremy Camp song:
 

I try to hold on to this world with everything I have
But I feel the weight of what it brings, and the hurt that tries to grab
The many trials that seem to never end, His word declares this truth,
that we will enter in this rest with wonders anew

But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings
That there will be a place with no more suffering

[Chorus]
There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we'll hold on to You always

I know the journey seems so long
You feel you're walking on your own
But there has never been a step
Where you've walked out all alone

[Chorus]

Troubled soul don't lose your heart
Cause joy and peace He brings
And the beauty that's in store
Outweighs the hurt of life's sting

I can't wait until that day where the very One I've lived for always will wipe away the sorrow that I've faced
To touch the scars that rescued me from a life of shame and misery this is why, this is why I sing

Scott has a beautiful voice and did a wonderful job presenting the music.

One of the themes that has developed during the past two years was that of Super Bub, superhero. Bub seemed especially attracted to Superman, Spidey man and the rest. We wondered if it was his subconscious way of wishing he could have super powers.

Pastor Bob wore a Super Bub t-shirt under his suit jacket and many people there either had Super Bub shirts or Superman t-shirts. In fact both Kevin and Ian wore one with their jeans. Pastor's message touched on the typical "why" that we always ask when we don't understand. He didn't know either and said we are surrounded by so many mysteries in our life and that would be just another one. But along with the mystery, he knew of a couple certainties. One was that we all were born and will die some day. So as Bub cannot come to us, but because of what God's Son did for us,  we can go to him.  The other certainty was of the love of God. He proceeded to work his way through a simple message of salvation and ended with prayer and a distinct invitation to those who needed to accept Christ as their Savior.

When we opened our eyes after the prayer, the lights had dimmed and a video was shown of Braeden throughout his short life. One of the video clips showed him last summer at the top of a little plastic slide with his hat on to keep him from sunburning. At the bottom was a kiddy pool full of water. He stands up there and I thought he would slide down nicely. NOOOO! He yells, "HIYA!!" at the top of his lungs and jumps straight down into the water, missing the slide completely. Some of the pictures were of Braeden in the hospital but most were pretty easy to view because it didn't show him sick.

There was a final prayer and they dismissed the audience back row first and worked down to the front. The immediate family was in the first two rows. The funeral home director went to the casket and opened the top. He gently folded the quilted fabric back over the edges and stepped back.  I stood up thinking we were leaving and then noticed the firefighters were standing on the other side of the aisle. The Chief stiffly approached the casket, snapped off a sharp salute again and removed one white glove and placed it on the lid. Each one of the 6 did the same, slowly and with firm determination. They then turned on their heels and marched up the aisle and out the door. Kevin asked if we would let him and Dawn and the kids have time alone with Braeden so pastor said we could say our goodbyes. I stood by the casket, staring at that little shrunken, pale, pinched face, with just a tiny fringe of hair circling his head and wondered if I dared touch him. I didn't want to make a scene so gently laid my palm on top of his cold clasped hands and whispered, "Goodbye Bub". 

We then went across the hall where the church has a huge gymnasium. It was filled with tables covered with white paper table cover. In the center of each table was a bud vase filled with yellow spring flowers, daffodils and forsythia. On each serving table was a bright colored plastic dump truck. In the bed was a beautiful floral arrangement of tulips and other flowers. The ladies had laid out a wonderful luncheon of drinks, ham buns, chips and LOTS of salads and desserts so everyone had plenty to eat. 


We were given several containers of leftovers and two dozen buns to bring home. DINNER'S READY!! I'm so glad because I didn't get to bed very early the night before and then had trouble sleeping. We had to be up at 7 as we had a court appointment at 8:30 to evict a tenant. The funeral was at 11 and we went straight there from the court. We didn't get home until 4. It was a long day and very draining. But all in all, it went well and I think the kids are doing as well as can be expected. Ian and Eliana aren't going to school the rest of the week, nor Kevin to work. They'll have some time to learn to be a normal family again for the first time in two years. They have a very different life ahead of them.

They didn't have a committal prayer at the church and didn't go to the cemetery as a group. I suspect that Kevin, Dawn and the kids went with their pastor to the cemetery and had a private one there. It is about 5 miles north of the church and is all by itself out in the country, with big trees here and there and surrounded by farmland. It is right near their favorite ice cream shop so in the summer, they'll go by it often and I'm sure will stop and remember Braeden for a few special  moments. I would like to go up today and plant some of my daffodils that are blossoming by our pool, where he had had so much fun in the water.

I don't plan on doing anything worthwhile the rest of this day. It can wait.[/i]

[Monica]

I don't visit like I use too and I just saw this a few minutes ago and I am just sadened to hear that such a young child has died.  There are so many children that have to spend more of their life fighting than playing and being a kid.

[FrankJScott]

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