Joy

Weeping may endure for a night ... but joy comes in the morning - Psalm ___

Happy Birthday Karen

If Joey's here, what would Joey do for Karen on her birthday? I think he would sing this song to her:



Happy Birthday Karen!

Happy Birthday ... Tell Me How ...

Karen's birthday is tomorrow, January 22.

Joey went to heaven on May 22.

Yes, it's been 8 months.

Can anyone tell me how to best greet Karen for her birthday? Happy birthday is the usual way, right? But darn it, I know no matter how she tries, tomorrow will be a sad day. A sad day because no matter how much she prays, the fact is she will never get a phone call from her darling son to greet her "happy birthday"!

I am just sayin' ....

No, really ... I am in the mood to rant today. Sure, we all know Joey is in a better place. And sure we all know that as Christians we are all supposed to rejoice. But darn it, I am a mom and I know how mom feels when she misses her son. Darn it, I am mad and I am sad!

I will be back for a more calm post. But this morning I think a rant is better. God is not afraid to hear what we really feel (he knows it anyway). And right now I feel sad that Joey was not able to call her sister Joanne to greet her a happy birthday, and Joey will not be calling Karen tomorrow to greet her a Happy Birthday.

Can anyone tell me how to handle this kind of situation? Rejoice? Celebrate? Oh that's easy for us to say. The fact is it stinks! It's a pit to celebrate your "first birthday after one of your loved ones passed away". That's the truth. That's the plain truth.

And so I think a rant is ok. Maybe a scream would be better. And then after that ... after that I will call upon the Holy Spirit to pour out His mighty comfort, and once again affirm that God is in control. That God has plan. That His ways are higher than our ways. And that we may never understand here on earth why the heck Joey was called to heaven earlier than Karen and Joe. But the Holy Spirit will bring comfort. He will even bring joy. And He will sustain. He will carry them through.

Well ... Karen, Happy Birthday. I am giving you the permission to scream and to cry. Go ahead.

But at the end of the day, know that God is giving you an extra dose of comfort today and tomorrow because He knows you'll need it. And because Joey is there in heaven, with Jesus, asking God, saying "take good care of my mama, because I love her".

Our Heavenly Dwelling

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

1Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

6Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7We live by faith, not by sight. 8We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Joe Smilin' At You

I like this photo of Joey with the kids. You can see pure joy in his smile. And each kid has a unique expression on their faces :)

Joseph's Pic Of The Day - Fire

I love the "pyro-look in the eyes...Mischievious but fun-loving.... Joe and i spent many hours in the discipleship of over-the top fires.....Everytime I stoke up a big fire in the Virginia Beach cold I think of Joseph aned his love of stoking a big hot fire......Kevin sure looks happy and warm!

I sure miss you Mijo!
Pops

Featured on Travelblog.com

Joe(y) and Rachel's blog VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER is featured on Travelblog.com. CHECK IT OUT HERE! and leave a comment there if you can :)

Remembering Joey (on Facebook)

I thought I'd mention it here, in case some of you didn't know yet. You can go there and join the group. It's started by Rachel and she's maintaining it along with the Johnsons. Here's the basic info on the group:

Joseph, Joey, Joe - the fiery redheaded kid who became the man we all admired and loved.

His passion for life shone through in everything he put himself into - music, surfing, snowboarding, travel, work, friends, love, politics, beer brewing - by nature he was a true connoisseur. He was quick to give you his opinion, then even quicker to back it up with an intelligent, expressive reason. He loved to laugh, inspire laughter, make up songs, dance, and run jokes into the ground a hundred times over.

He was a true liver of life (that one's for you, JR).

The pain of his abrupt passing is deepened by the thought of his memory fading. Please freely share stories, photos, memories - anything to keep him with us. (click here)