The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. 1 Samuel 2:6
 
If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; and then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's Romans 14:8
 
My Great Aunt Martha lived a difficult life, but a life full of quiet steady faith. She was a Norwegian immigrant. who married my dad's uncle after his first wife died in the plague in the early 1920s. They had no children and lived in rural South Dakota. Great Uncle John was not the most ambitious farmer around; therefore, Aunt Martha worked tirelessly to keep their household afloat.
 
Uncle John always seemed to think that Aunt Martha could do, or should have done, just a few more tasks to make their lives better. Of course, he did little to help Aunt Martha as far as our family could tell. Long after Uncle John retired, Aunt Martha was working at the local nursing home and managing most of what was done at home. 
 
Nevertheless, Martha lived a life of quiet faith. She was a devoted Christian who always attended her local Lutheran church. Near the end of her life, she lived in the nursing home where she had worked for many years. When we visited her, she always had the blanket she brought from Norway near her and her Norwegian Bible by her. She was especially touched when our grade school-aged  daughter sang "Jeg er sa glad hver julekveld" (I am So Glad Each Christmas Eve) in Norwegian to her one Christmas season.
 
Near the end of her life, my mother was visiting Aunt Martha who was in pain and knew that she was near death. Mother asked, "Is there anything I can do to help you?" Martha answered, "Only God, only God." No matter what, Aunt Martha knew that she was God's child, and that this was most important.
 
Dear Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
Thank you for the gift of faith. We know that your abounding grace is comfort no matter what befalls us throughout our lives. Help us to always live convinced that we can never be separated from you. You alone can lift us up as we live looking forward to eternal life with you. Amen.
 
Florence Smallfield   
 
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