One Never Knows The Last Day

 

September 18, 2011

The day my Rob preached his last sermon.

And our last day spent with my Rob before he became unconscious.

Make sure you spend time with those you love

and take lots of pictures.

One never knows when the last day with loved ones will be.

We certainly did not know.

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The following was written in 2012.

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Tuesday, September 18, 2012

September 18, 2011

Sunday, September 18, 2011

The last day we spent with Rob while he was conscious

It is 9 a.m. as I start to type this.  Last year at 9 a.m., we were all getting dressed to leave for Rob to preach Homecoming at the church where his dream of becoming a minister came true.  While he was a student at Duke Divinity School, he was also the pastor of 2 churches.  He was so happy to be appointed to Franklinville and Rehobeth.  I will never forget the day he got the phone call.  One of those sweet memories that only he and I shared.

I, of course, took pictures last September 18th.  If I had known that only 16 hours after the pictures were recorded on film (or memory card) that Rob would be unconscious, there would have been SO many more photos.

But we did not know...

 Someone offered to take a family photo but Rob was so busy talking with everyone that he never did make his way back to the altar and I gave up getting one and just took pictures of the kids.  If I had known it would be my last chance for a family photo, I would have made sure to get one.

But we did not know...

The man (who was a middle school/ high schooler when we lived there) who kept the nursery on many Sundays.  Anna adored Craig.

More photos of the kids during the meal but none of Rob.  He was off talking.

Rob and I both always loved this old part of the church.  

This is the choir room where Rob, Anna, and I spent many choir practices.

This is Rob's view from the pulpit.

We wanted a photo of Rob in the pulpit.  We were going to compare them with the ones we took years ago when he first stood there.  He had me take so many way back then - at Franklinville's pulpit and at Rehobeth's pulpit.  He was thrilled to be standing in the position he had wanted for so long - at a pulpit.

I, of course, never minded taking photos of my handsome husband.  If I had known these photos would be the last photos I would take of my husband while he was breathing on his own, I would have taken more.

But I did not know...

We then went outside to the river that runs behind the church.  We loved walking at that river.  We had picnics there when we lived there.  I did not get one single picture of my Rob there that day.  The preacher had walked down there with us and I didn't want to interrupt their conversation.

I did not notice until much later, but I did get a photo of his hand in this frame.

 And then as we were leaving, I snapped this photo of my Anna.  I thought it was just such a gorgeous picturesque view.  

Now I find it symbolic.  

The last picture of our last conscious day with Rob was Anna walking away.  

We, of course, did not know that just 16 hours later, we would all start walking through the hardest day of our lives.  

We did not know that every aspect of our lives would change - after this day.

We did not know...

but God did.

And knowing that He has taken care of us since that day and will continue to do so is what helps us through the hard days.