From Robert Jason re: tragedy."This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Ps. 118:24). I recite this beloved verse every day when I get up. But since the tragedy that devastated dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. the Woerlen family last week, I and my family find it very hard to rejoice. In fact, we are stricken with grief and cannot shake it off. We mourn--indeed whole Niagara and Canada mourn--for the unutterable loss of a devout Christian mother and her eight children (the mother, Monika Woerlen, being pregnant with the eighth one) in a horrific fire in their farmhouse that consumed them all. Their homestead was only a few miles from ours. We visited their burned-down home. What utter desolation! Nothing but charred timbers! What utter sadness that shrouds this place which once witnessed a blessedly large, vibrant, closely-knit, happy family full of hopes and dreams! All gone. Dust to dust, ashes to ashes Ashes to Ashes may refer to: As a metaphor:
Now we grieve especially for the father, Marc Woerlen. We cannot fully imagine the unspeakable torment this poor man is going through, the sheer torture, the emptiness of having lost the love of his life, the woman with whom he spent his "golden years Noun 1. golden years - the time of life after retirement from active work time of life - a period of time during which a person is normally in a particular life state ," and those lively, joyful children. But in the end, we do rejoice, for as Christians we have the comfort of knowing that Monika and her loved ones loved ones npl → seres mpl queridos loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl for whom she selflessly devoted her life, have all left this vale of tears The phrase vale of tears refers to Earth and the sorrows left through life. "Vale" is a Middle English word meaning a valley or a dale. Like Psalm 23's reference to the valley of the shadow of death, the phrase implies that the wickedness of the world makes it dark and reprieve and gone to their eternal home to be with Jesus. Marc hopes and prays--and this drives him on--that he will someday re-join his beloved family when the Lord calls him home. "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Niagara Falls Niagara Falls, waterfall, United States and Canada Niagara Falls, in the Niagara River, W N.Y. and S Ont., Canada; one of the most famous spectacles in North America. The falls are on the international line between the cities of Niagara Falls, N.Y. , ON |
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