Life

There hasn't been much to blog about around the Northen household lately.  I'm gearing up for the end of school, Greg's life consists of research and writing, and Gordon is still working on going potty outside.  Not too exciting.  Not exciting at all.

For the sake of documenting our weekend, however, I thought I would post a few pictures and words about the past few days.  I'm playing softball for a team close to where we live.  We've only had one game this season, but we had some special visitors come cheer us on.  The Royal Netherlands Army Shooting Team came out to our first game of the season to watch us play.  Afterwards, they challenged us to a game against them before they flew back to Holland.  How many times in your life do you get to say, "Oh sorry, I can't hang out tonight.  I'm busy playing a ball game against the Dutch Army."  So of course, I played (and in my CJ Wilson jersey for good luck)!

Saturday was a hard day and a wonderful day.  My friend, Amy, from college passed away Tuesday night from a battle with leukemia.  Her funeral was Saturday morning, and I went down with a lot of my friends to attend the service.  It was a beautiful service, but quite honestly, still hard to take in and understand.  Amy had an incredible faith in the Lord and considered herself blessed for having been chosen by God to glorify Him through her sickness.  I'm going to miss her sweet spirit, her encouragement, her jokes, her laugh and of course, that beautiful soprano voice. 

Amy, Josh, and Benaiah

I knew Amy from college specifically because she was also a music major and we sang together in a tight-knit ensemble called "Chamber Chorale."  Several former Chamber students went to eat together after the funeral along with our conductor and our accompanist, "The Doctors Rye," as we collectively call them :)

I know Amy would have loved to be there reminiscing and laughing with the gang at lunch.  But I also know she is in the presence of our Lord, and is delighting in the fulfillment of His promises to her.  To close this post, I leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul that were chosen by Amy's husband to be read at the funeral.  

"I will continue to rejoice for I know that through your prayers and God's provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.  I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.  For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

Philippians 1:18b-21