Christmas Music Marathon-Day 15

 Dad

April 10, 1920 - December 16, 2009

Today is the first anniversary of the passing of my Father.  I loved him and I miss him deeply.  He was my hero in more ways than he could have ever known or I was ever able to express.  I have good days, when I don't think about him at all.  I have good days when I remember him with love.  Then, I have those days when I just hurt, because he's not here.  Every child who loses their last parent knows what I'm talking about.  You have made the transition from child to patriarch.  You have become the oldest generation in the family.
No one truly knows how long dad had that lump in his abdomen that would be diagnosed as cancer in September of 2009.  By the time treatment started the outcome was already known.  On December 16, 2009, dad lost his battle with cancer, but won the victory over death's sting.  Even though dad stepped into the eternity and the arms of Christ, deep down inside I would have loved One Last Christmas.



   I rejoice in the fact that dad's chains are gone, and I look forward to that day when my chains will be broken as well.  The chains of disease, sorrow, and death.  As a Christian, when our days are finished here, our chains will be gone and we will rest in arms of our Savior.  This next video is not a Christmas song.  It is one of the songs from dad's memorial service.  It is one of my favorite arrangements of a classic Hymn.  Here is Chris Tomlin singing "Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone".