Remembering JoAnn
On March 14, 2007, my wife of 25 years, JoAnn, was called home to Heaven. Her work on this earth was accomplished and she had reservations to keep that were set for her in Heaven. JoAnn died of 4th stage Melanoma cancer… she was 54.
I thank God that I know the truth about where she is, and that is a source of great peace, joy and hope… yet, I miss her and think I always will. Sometimes it seems like a dream to think that Jo is not with me and my family. I think I’m going to wake up from that dream with her lying next to me and reach over and hold her and say to her, ”Jo, I had a dream that you died and my life without you was so strange”. But God is good, always was and always will be. All Jo and I ever desired was His will for our lives. It was His will to take Jo home, and that means it was His will for my life too. I’ve never asked “why”. I don’t need to know because I trust and love our Lord… and I know He is a good God. He saved us!
JoAnn was a remarkable woman who loved the Lord so much, having a life that was changed by the power and love of Jesus Christ. She would brighten up any room she walked into and showed such compassion and care for people, whether she knew them or not! Her life was marked by her love for Jesus and just like the woman with the Alabaster box who anointed Jesus’ feet, she lived grateful and aware of what Jesus had done for her. Much of what you see at Light of the World Church, directly or indirectly, has been touched and influenced by JoAnn. She affected so many people with her warmth, authenticity, giving spirit, and accepting heart. She was truly, “One in a Million” (our Wedding Song).
God has blessed my family and I… my two daughters, my son, my two sons-in-law, my three grandchildren… with His strength, comfort, peace, hope and joy. We cry together, laugh together, and are grateful together for the wondrous blessing we had in JoAnn and the time we shared together. God is still putting together some of the pieces of my broken heart, but I know I will see her again!
There is something that has so touched my heart that I wish to share with you. Jo and I used to go every year to Nantucket, an island 30 miles off the Massachusetts coast. There we enjoyed many beautiful times together and it has always been a special place for us filled with wonderful memories. One day in 2006, our last time in Nantucket together, we went to Jetties Beach where we had witnessed many beautiful sunsets. As I sat on the beach reading, JoAnn swam about 40 feet off shore and sat on a sandbar. The water was only a few inches deep so she looked as if she were sitting on top of the water. She looked at me and I looked at her, and I saw such a beautiful expression on her face as we stared at each other. I waved to her and her hand covered her heart. At that moment she told me God was speaking such comforting and strengthening words to her. He put upon her heart Psalm 139:17-18 which lovingly says, “How precious also are your thoughts to me oh God. How great is the sum of them. If I should count them they would be more in number than the sand. When I am awake, I am still with you”! Two months later we received the report that Jo had cancer and had but a few months to live. Those faithful words from God were such a comfort and strength to JoAnn. She kept them in her heart and faced the next few months with courage, peace and trust in a loving Savior. Her faith and love for Jesus was evident in all she spoke and in all she did. Jo marked that Psalm in her Bible, writing, “I was sitting on the sandbar at Jetties when He spoke”. Those words embraced JoAnn… all the way home!
Thank you my Jesus!