He Has Won the Victory!

I cannot ever remember a time when it was this hard to find words to write. My exhaustion is deep from the past two weeks and my eyes leak a lot. But I need to share with you the passing of my sweet husband, John.  His long, long battle with Frontotemporal Dementia and Aphasia is over. He has won the victory and he is with His Lord and Savior, Yeshua, whom He treasured above all else!

About a week before his passing his heart went into A-Fib and he became very short of breath, losing what little cognition he had left. It was a grueling week of 24/7 caregiving, as he became very weak in his legs and could not walk. I tried to help him use a walker but his brain did not understand what to do with it so he didn't know how to move his feet.  The LORD intervened and made a way for my beloved John to be transferred to inpatient hospice. I feel certain that none of the employees at Pathways Inpatient Care in Fort Collins are humans; surely they all must be angels! They tended to John so gently and lovingly, and blessed me with kindness also. I had a small sofa bed in his room, but I stayed up most of the days and nights, keeping vigil, reading Scripture to him, and singing over him.  He was only there for four days. On November 19th in the morning I was having a little breakfast at a small table in his room when I felt an urgent prompting to move quickly to John's side and take his hand. I wanted so desperately to be holding his hand when he left this earth! 

John had been "seeing" my dad at the window for a few previous months. He and my dad had an unusually close and loving relationship. I knew he received a love from my father that he never got from his own. So, as I gently took John's hand in mine I whispered in his ear, "I will always love you. Thank you for being such a faithful, kind, and wonderful husband to me. Give my mom and my dad a hug for me!" And he breathed his last breath and was gone. Precious and holy in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. (Psalm 116:15)

It was so very peaceful, after such a long struggle. My heart is overflowing with thanksgiving on this Thanksgiving Day for my beloved is free, with a mind that is whole and sound, and I cannot even begin to imagine his immense JOY as he worships His Lord face to face!

I too feel joy and release. I was deeply privileged to care for this man of God for eleven years (since his diagnosis). But now I am free to leave the confines of this house, go wherever the Lord chooses to send me, and seek out whatever new calling He has for me. Through Marsha Burns and her daily words from the Lord, He spoke this straight to my heart:
November 27, 2024: You are entering a season of new beginnings. Things may not be according to what you have imagined, but it will be a time of spiritual growth and development like none other. It will be as though you are looking through a different lens where your life will take on new meaning, and you will never be the same again. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

May it be unto me according to Your Word, Lord!  Oh, how I desire to grow in You and to look through a new lens!  I give You unending praise and thanks for bringing John safely home and for allowing me a season of new beginnings.

Thank you, dearest friends, for continuing to journey with me, and to pray for me.  I appreciate you all so much! I hope you will enjoy the memorial website I created for John. The link is below. 
https://everloved.com/life-of/john-lee-mills/