TWO LITTLE BOYS
Milton, here for Kristy:Kristy rested again in the night. She was very confused last evening, but still has her sweet, peaceful smile. Her kind loving hands weakly reach out to love those near.
***
Julie's boys, Alex and Nic, have know for some time that Kristy has been sick. They saw their Nana a week ago and knew that she was very ill and would ask if she was going to die. We would tell them that everyone dies at some time, and then they would ask where do you go when you die? We would tell them that you go to heaven if Jesus is in your heart and that would suffice.
Last night Julie played the video (April 14 post) of Kristy singing to her grandchildren and then later told them that Nana was going to heaven. Their hearts broke with hard tears.
Julie is a single mom and was in Tampa where she lives. They called and I talked with them and comforted them. Alex is eight and Nic is five, almost six. Alex understands this loss and Nic is not sure what is happening.
We wept and talked over the phone and I shared how much Nana loves them and how they are special little boys. I call Alex my "best pal" and Nic my "best buddy". I assured them that Papa would be with them and loved them and that they are special little boys. Alex said, "You are a special Papa." They received comfort and went to bed, Alex sleeping with Nana's picture in his hand.
Little ones are resilient but they need love, security, and comfort. Please pray for God's shield and grace to be with them today and these next days.
Jennifer's children, Claudia and Lorenzo, are four and two. They deeply love their Nana too.
posted by Kristy Dykes @ 8:06 AM
26 comments
26 Comments:
Milton, I am praying for your 4 sweet grands!
4 years ago we lost my dad to a massive heart attack, leaving 12 grandchildren behind! Ages were between 4 months old and 16 years old!
My children were 8,6,3 and 4 months at the time.
My 3 older children remember thier Papa with special things they've done , and I have pictures of him about the house, and the children will ask different things and say that they remember and hope to always remember.
Your sweet grands will remember sweet memories and will smile when they think of her!
I'm still praying for a miracle of healing for sweet Kristy and your family!
Take care of you
NickyK in Canada
Dear Milton and Kristy,
On my walk this morning I listened to an old song by Amy Grant called In a Little While, and it made me think of you. Here's the chorus.
In a little while we'll be with the Father
Can't you see Him smile
In a little while we'll be home forever
in a while
We're just here to learn to love HIm.
We'll be home in just a little while...
...I can almost see the top of the hill
And I believe it's worth it all....
We'll be home in just a little while.
I am praying for you, your daughters, and grandchildren and all who love Kristy. It's so hard to say goodbye, even if it is only for a little while. May God wrap His big arms of comfort around you all and give you the courage and strength you need today.
Love and prayers,
Carrie in NJ
Milton, you can be sure that Alex, Nic, Claudia, and Lorenzo are already bathed in prayer by loving believers who have come alongside your family even from a great distance. You blessed and comforted them perfectly yesterday. You are a good Papa.
One tangible way to comfort the children (both your own grandchildren and children who have been blessed at church by Kristy) is to distribute flower bulbs of Kristy's favorite flowers. It is one of the best illustrations I know, of a Believer's eternal life. When the bulb returns with a fragrant blossom each year, they will remember her fondly.
May God comfort your heart today.
Dear Kristy and Pastor Dykes,
Our family has continually kept your family in our prayers. Prayers for blessing on your family, for a miracle and for healing. Those times of prayer have included our young son. He is a 5 year old who has himself already suffered a great loss in his own young life. Through his adoption, the love of our family and teaching him about the love of Jesus, he's been healed and found new joy and trust in our family. It took some time, and was not easy road.
In his own innocent 5 year old way, he's attached himself to Kristy and her suffering. No one has prayed harder, and with more more child-like conviction and trust that God will answer his prayers, than him for Kristy to heal. It's been close to his heart too.
When we told him that Kristy was going to Heaven, he was so upset and asked us WHY God was not listening to his prayers, we had to search for an answer to give him that he could understand... that WE could understand.
We told him that God has a plan for every one of us, and God's plan is for Kristy to go to live with Jesus, and that Heaven was a beautiful place full of love and light and happiness and no one is ever sick or unhappy or sad. We told him that God created this wonderful home for all of us to go to one day when we are done living on earth, so that we will all one day live forever with Him, if he is in our hearts. We told him that everyone who loves a person who dies, is very sad because they can't see them anymore, but that God lets us see them in our hearts.
To him, he understood it was like an adoption. You miss where you came from, it hurts to leave people you love and it hurts them for you to leave, but you will be happy where God wants you to live.
Our 5 year old son, who never knew God before he came to our family, accepted the Lord into his heart. Faith and trust of God and His plan for his life is a part of him now, and will shape the man he is to become one day. What a blessing!
He's also accepted that his prayers for Kristy were not answered the way he prayed them to be.
As he prayed last night, this is what he prayed:
"Dear Lord, please bless Kristy with your Holy Spirit and take care of her and dance with her a lot when she gets to Heaven"
I am writing all this to share that children who know God's love have an innocent and pure way of coping with loss, grief and with things even we adults have trouble understanding at times. Once the seed of God's love is planted in them, God will take care of their little hearts too.
Your precious grandchildren will always know Kristy's love for them through the hands of their beautiful Nana who will reach down from Heaven and hold them, through God's love and promise for them too...
... all while she's laughing, singing and dancing with Jesus in Heaven.
You both, and Jennifer and Julie, through your examples of faith, have and will continue to teach these little ones they can trust God's love. His love and your love will sustain them too, even through the hardest times and the littlest broken hearts.
Bless you all. We love you all so much.
Dawn, Skip and Dallas Scott
My dear sweet Dykes family,
In all ways I am praying for you today. My heart is full, as you well know the feeling. There are so many unknowns to cope with, yet. God is able to carry you through, and I'm trusting Him to carry you gently and peacefully. I admire all of you for how you're dealing with life's tenderest moments. May God be with you all today.
In His Love, and with Prayers always,
Cathy
You all are in my thoughts and prayers.
God bless you.
How sad for the sweet little ones to lose such a treasure as Kristy; there is something special about a grandmother's love, a grandmother's touch. I check in on your site each day praying for a miracle.
I know that I don't know you, but I feel that I have come to know you through this blog. I feel as if I were praying for a dear friend or family member.
I will send up extra prayers for the little ones.
Teresa from Alabama
What an awesome bunch you have there. I have been praying for you all, I just see and sense Angels are Kristy even as i type.
GOD BLESS YOU
Milton and Kristy
Today we prayed for you. We always struggle for the words but yet there is such a need to convey our love and prayers to you.
Isaiah 43:1-3
Praying, Milton and thanking God for yours and Kristy's spirit.
praying for all of you - with love, shana in seattle
Dear Pastor Dykes, May God bless you with his very real presense as these days progress; God has given you a wonderful family and He is guiding your thoughts and words in a very special way. We are praying for you all and are praising God for sending His very best, His Son, " for such a time as this". Thank you for allowing the Lord to use you at Mom's funeral on Friday. Esther Rampton's family
My heart goes out to all your grands, but how wonderful that they have the gift of videos to remember their Nana by. That's something my generation doesn't have.
I will keep those precious kids in my prayers along with Kristy and everyone else!
Dear Milton and the entire Dykes Family,
Oh, how I appreciate the way you've persevered with these daily posts. It has been such an amazing blessing and comfort to all of us.
Praying for God's continued strength and encouragement in your lives. Please know we love you and hold you in our hearts during this most difficult time.
In Christ's Abounding Love...
Shar MacLaren
I check the blog often. Please know that I am praying.
With love from Kristy's AWSA sisters,
Stacie Ruth
www.brightlightministry.com
Jesus will never let go of your hand. He will lead and guide and direct your steps as you walk in those well chosen paths He has planned for you. May His peace and grace fill you with comfort and joy in His presence. May you be caught up into the rapturous glory of who He is, the I am. We love and pray for you all.
Your Brother in Christ, Tom
God bless your wonderful family.
Dear Dykes Family:
This is for Julie. I just had to respond to her heart's cry about her mom. I was about her age when I lost my mom. She was my best friend. She was also talented, a wonderful wife, good mother, gradmother, wonderful christian and prayer warrior. How could God allow such a thing to happen? But I know that God is All knowing, all seeing.
The Psalmist says that our days are numbered from the time of our conception, God knows how many there will be from the beginning. Cherish every day as if it is your last with everyone you love. Whatever is to come, God will be there to give you what you need. He is all that you will ever need. He is your only source.
My prayers will be for you and your beautiful family. God bless all of you in the days ahead.
Ava Tanner
MILTON & FAMILY,
This is Cathy, again. My heart can't keep from sharing. I'm "so there" with you, at this tender time. Losing my precious Daddy, suddenly without warning, just three months ago is still so very fresh. I loved him so, and I'm an only child. I know how you're hurting, during this time of uncertainty. I'm reminded though, that God is always there--always HERE.
This song, IN THIS VERY ROOM is expression of the tenderness of the moment. It's how I sense the presence of Jesus is all around your home right now.
In this very room there's quite enough love for one like me,
And in this very room there's quite enough joy for one like me,
And there's quite enough hope and quite enough hope and quite enough power to chase away any gloom,
For Jesus, Lord Jesus....is in this very room.
And in this very room there's quite enough love for all of us,
And in this very room there's quite enough joy for all of us,
And there's quite enough hope and quite enough power to chase away any gloom,
For Jesus, Lord Jesus...is in this very room.
In this very room there's quite enough love for all the world,
And in this very room there's quite enough joy for all the world,
And there's quit enough hope and quite enough power to chase away any gloom,
For Jesus, Lord Jesus..is in this very room.
I'm praying for Kristy, and I love you all.
Cathy
I love that song and the Amy Grant one, too, very much.
And just today I finished reading _Rich Mullins--an Arrow Pointing to Heaven_. He wrote "Awesome God." He loved the Lord so much, and was so ready for heaven, and an accident driving sent him there at a young age. Then, just yesterday, Dottie Rambo in a bus accident.
Well, Heaven's lookin' sweeter all the time, isn't it. Like another great song says, "I Can Only Imagine."
God bless you all and hold you tight.
A KRISTY & MILTON STORY:
A few years ago I had the privilege of spending a weekend at a writing retreat with Kristy and a few other wonderful ACFW members. Well, we were all in the middle of chatting in our cabin when we heard the slam of a car door. Kristy pulled the curtain aside then popped off the sofa, a great big smile on her face. "That's my Milton!" she said.
Then Milton came in and they kissed. Kristy slipped her arm around his waist and Milton wrapped his arm around her shoulder. And they REALLY looked at each other, eye to eye. It was as if they'd been apart for weeks or months.
I was so touched that I was speechless. I'd never seen a couple married that long who looked like teenagers in love. Then I remembered that Kristy told us the day before, "Milton and I are hardly ever apart from each other."
I had to post this because their's is a true love story. Just one example of two people loving Jesus, and that love poured out onto each other and their family and friends.
May the Lord continue to surround you with His cloud of peace.
Love & prayers,
Nancy
Milton and Kristy,
I wrote a message to you and not sure it went through. Just want you to know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. Wish I could have met you, Kristy, but I do feel as if I know you through Milton's comments as well as your daughters. Obviously, you are deeply loved. Can we even conceive of God's love being even greater than that of family! He is over-seeing every moment of your life on this side of Heaven. He is preparing a beautiful place just for you. He promises in John 17 that you will see Him in His glory!
The Murphy family (Annie Murphy Dykes'extended family) is large and scattered from coast to coast therefore we haven't really known each other but one day there will be a reunion to top all family reunions!
Some good news to share with you. My husband and I were married 32 years with 3 precious children (two are married and each have 2 children)then divorced for almost 7 years. We remarried on our anniversary, 11/29/07. God is giving us another chance to honor Him through our marriage.
See you "over there"!
2nd cousin, Janis Murphy Davis
Milton and Kristy,
May the Lord continue to surround you with his love.
God Bless you and your family.
Thank you for being an example of real love story.
Janis, this is Norma, Milton's sister. I'm wondering what your parents names are so that I can place you. You are right that we have a large extended family and it will be a great reunion one day.
Milton,
Please tell Kristy that I love her. She has always been that bright presence in our family. I will never forget her sweet, sweet spirit. As I shed my tears reading all these notes & reading your post, (as I do every day), I keep thinking she will soon see Her Mamma (Aunt Grace), Nana Connors, Papa Connors, Aunt Tine (My Grandmother), ect.. and most important Jesus. She will have a wonderful reunion in Heaven. Looking at this world now with everything happening, and looking at the end times in the Bible, I don't think that we are very far behind her.
I know this hurts and will hurt even more after she leaves, but with your faith in God, he will see you through.
Love & Prayers
Lori
I want to add to what Lori wrote in the above post. Every end time prophecy is coming to pass with greater frequency. Reading the prophecies of Jesus is like reading today's newspaper.
Grace and peace to all, and those who call on the name of the Lord will be following Kristy shortly.
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