The tall grass is blowing softly in the wind, its bright golden color sparkling in the morning sun. Birds are singing their songs of praise with excitement. The bright blue sky is the perfect backdrop for this reunion. Off in the distance a child is running, her laughter getting louder every moment. It’s Rosemary; she isn’t a baby anymore but a beautiful young girl, her long hair streaming behind her as she dances her way through the field. The lily tucked behind her ear is no match for her radiant beauty. “Abba, I’ve missed you!” she squeals with joy. “And I you my child” says a welcoming voice out of sight. “Come, I want to hold you my girl!”
This is the picture I got while we were praying shortly after we found out Rosemary was no longer with us. The tiny baby we had loved for the last two weeks died about three hours earlier. It was a shock to us all. Death, especially of a child, was something I hoped never would happen on the Race. But here we were our hearts broken for this baby girl.
Later on in the day we had a small funeral service for her. There was small group of us gathered around her praying and singing songs of praise. Lying next to her was a beautify lily full of color. The picture I saw earlier came flooding in again. Rosemary is dancing with Abba, her laughter filling the sky. The lily tucked behind her ear.
I can’t be sad, no matter how much it hurts not having her here. She is in Abba’s arms now, wrapped in perfect love. That is where my heart longs to be. I rejoice with her and wait for the day I can join her. Until then I will go and tell the world about the love of the Father, a love that never changes. He sent His son to die for us so that we could dance with Him in the fields of heaven. His is a love that I will never fully understand but I am so grateful for.
If you want to know more about Rosemary and how special she was you can read my teammate Laura’s blog about her.http://lauraschaefer.theworldrace.org/?filename=her-name-is-rosemary Laura was her “mom” for the last two weeks. And she loved her so well. This loss is especially hard for her. Please keep her and everyone here in your prayers.
