The verse on my computer screen this month is so appropriate for my post today. It is 1 Peter 1:6 which has been paraphrased as, "Be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead." Byron's Aunt Della knew this joy. She passed away on Monday, March 18, but now she is experiencing wonderful joy first hand.
Every time I saw Della she was smiling, joking and laughing. Della did not have an easy life. She was a single mother, never had much money and had muscular dystrophy. But, she had joy in the Lord. The most precious part of Della's funeral service for me was when her daughter, Brenda played a recording of Della. I can't remember word for word what she said, but the jest of it was that she knew suffering, pain, and persecution, but she also knew joy. That joy came from knowing Jesus and we can all have that joy, too. He never leaves us, he is always with us. The joy of the Lord was her strength. (Nehemiah 8:10) What a beautiful witness!
I would like to share some pictures I took at the burial. For my sweet Serna family, please feel free to print these. Just click to open the image in a separate window and then right click on the picture and save it to your computer where you can send it out to be printed or print at home.
Funerals are always so bitter sweet. Della will truly be missed by so many people here on earth, but we rejoice that she is where there is no more pain, no more dying, and that she is with the Lord that was always her strength and her joy.
Della was laid to rest at the same place that her mother, brother Fred, and sisters Angelica and Delores were laid to rest. They are all reunited once again.
Below are the three remaining siblings, Paul, Phyllis and Byron's dad, Nick.
Byron's brother Nick and sister Nicol were both able to attend the services as well.
