With grief and joy

There are many people who are grieving now over the loss of a loved one. I have just joined the ranks of the bereaved. My brother passed away Wednesday. It makes me both sad and joyful that he has gone to be with the Lord. We are sad because we will miss him, but joyful about his arrival into his final home.

Since I was 21 years old, we have not lived in the same state, but our family has remained very close over the years. My brother, Gary, was a retired United Methodist pastor, so he moved around a lot, but always stayed in the state of Georgia.

This is not his obituary, but I want to share with our readers just who he was, and what an inspiration he is to our family at this time in his death.