Today I say good-bye to a dear friend. I say good-bye to a wonderful lady who taught me much about sacrifice and love. I say good-bye, but it's only temporary, we will see each other again someday. Today, she rests with our Savior!

Vada was an amazing woman. Widowed at an early age, she met a widower and they merged their families, she was now in charge of 8 children. Her new husband was a brilliant man. He invented bicycle parts and they had a successful business in California. Their children began to have children of their own. One of those grandchildren had a daughter when she was just 14. Vada and her husband, now in their early 60's willingly adopted that little girl. They decided that they wanted to get their new little daughter out of California and raise her in a small town somewhere, so they set out on a quest.

They found that little town, smack dab in the middle of Iowa and they moved in. No close family, no friends, they just felt like it was right. That was 15 years ago. Within a short time, they found our little church out in the country. Their little girl was 4, just a few months younger than my youngest. Vada and I hit it off. What a joyfilled woman! Oh, she knew struggles, having a large family, those came with the territory, but she was calm in the midst of the storms! As a church, we helped them to raise their little one in a new era. We grew close. Their daughter spent a lot of time on our farm and others.

Over the years, we were introduced to the rest of their family. Her sister, Issy, has a special place in my heart! She went home to Jesus many years ago, but I can remember her infectious joy and how I loved to get her cards in the mail.

So, not only do we say good-bye to Vada today, be we say good-bye to her husband. He'll be going back to California with the family (he's not in good health) on Thursday. We say good-bye to her family, people we've come to love and appreciate on many levels.

My heart is aching, it has been since she left this world for the next just before Christmas, but I know that she is whole, healthy, and wonderously blessed as she worships our Lord this very minute!