Its been a rough 3 weeks for me and my family

Keith -

My thoughts are prayers are with you and your family. Your father's spirit lives in you by the kindness you have shown to us here. God bless your daughter and your father. Find strength in the knowledge that we feel your suffering. Find strength in knowledge that your father is proud of you and loves you and doesn't want you to suffer, because he is your best friend. You and your family not only have a guardian angel... but a Marine! Find peace in this.

Sincerest condelences,


Dan Click

Sorry for your loss. I am very happy your daughter is OK. I think of people I have lost many times while swinging the coil. Sometimes it is a time of great relection. My mother who is 79 just got some very bad test results. Now more tests. Life is very hard sometimes.

It is a rare and unique bond being best friends with your father, one that is truly powerful. I'm very sorry, for it is a great loss. Be strong brother.

Keith, this is heart wrenching for you and your family I am sure. Right after I type this post, I will post a sticky note on my screen to remind me daily to pray for you and your family during your painful loss. .......... They say words are comforting....a tonic for the pain, If that is so, then here are some: You'll see your father again.
Keep the faith dear brother. You haven't seen the last of your dad. My heartfelt sympathy and prayers are yours during this time.

Yes Kevin, your correct, Keith will see his father again. That's a promise...

John 5: 28, 29

Verry sorry to hear about your Dad Keith. Thank God your daughter is doing ok. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Keith, I wish you the best during this difficult time. Physically, your dad may not be with you any longer, however, emotionally, spiritually & mentally, he will ALWAYS be by your side. Do take comfort in that fact. Be well, my friend

Joe

Sounds like your Dad made a life saving decision in a heartbeat.

My deepest sympathy for your families loss.
Chris Colleman
Belgium

Sorry to hear that Keith. Hope all in the family are doing better.

I have a friend at Stanford with the septic infection. It does not look good for him.

El

Sorry Keith.
Been there, done that.
Only time will dull the edge of loss.
As a Christian, its much easier. At least you know he is resting at peace now (sleep is what Jesus called death) and you will see him again in the resurection of the just. But that knowledge doesn't dull the initial loss.

Best thing you can do for your Dad is to make sure you are in that same resurection so you both can meet Jesus together when he returns. Or if you happen to be alive at that time that you have picked the right side and get to follow him in the air to meet Jesus at his return.

Revelation 14; 12 - 13 Here is the patience of the saints. Here are those who keep the commandment of God and the Faith of Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”

Mike

That is a rough one Keith.
You have a lot of people in here pulling for you.
All the best,

Jerry

Sorry for your loss........remember the good times....

DeepTech Vista X with 3 search coils.
Works for me

Thanks, Keith for sharing. I am reminded of my father's passing over 25 years ago and the grief coals stirred again. I am moved at what you and your family are going through. My prayers are on going. I am quite touched at the depth and volume of the sympathetic posts. It is good to be loved even if by strangers. May God's blessing and His Comforting Spirit be with you and your family this day and every day.
Tom

Past(or)Tom
Using a Legend, a Deus 2, an Equinox 800, a Tarsacci MDT 8000, & a few others...
with my beloved, fading Corgi, Sadie

Yes, truly tragic when someone loved and close is removed so quickly. But then, we are all but a vapor, like dew in the grass, the sun rises and we are gone. It is important to remember that we exist not by our own strength but by the grace of God and that same Creator that brought us forth can sovereignly and rightly take us away from the land of the living, at any time and by any means. I don't know about those on this forum, but from my earliest memories are reflecting on the temporal nature of life. It forced me to evaluate who I was and come to grips, even as a small child, that I was but transient and life fleeting. Simply looking at the beauty of my childhood world was enough for me to logically (and rationally) conclude that the world must be created - which means I am also part of this creation. Then the next step was to determine what my Creator expected from me and who this God (for it could be nothing less) was.

The upshot of critical analysis will inevitably lead to spiritual truth which transforms your life and provide rock-solid assurances about the past, present, and future with God in control of all of it (certainly not me in control). Then, in-turn, being used by God for His purposes, I seek to pass that unblinking desire to obtain only what is true to my wife and children, family members and others less know, who may (if God is so willing) also discover that God is true and faithful over all life's events small or great.

In the manner of the Christian perspective, we seek to influence some to escape that otherwise bland, numb existence that leads to spiritual death. Each and every day I know my next breath is numbered and both myself and children and everything in this world exist by God's design and for His pleasure. When I die, or my children, or someone else known to me (or just on a forum) there is pain of separation and loss - but I am not like those who are without God in the world. Knowing that all things whether bad or good, all tragedies, all painful circumstances, though they involve human folly or sin or seeming happenstance, are permitted by God to occur, have been foreordained from before the foundation of the world, and will serve the purposes of God. To this, though we don't always see or know the exact nature of God's plan, we know that God cannot do evil nor is He constrained by human reasoning - for His thoughts are not our thoughts.

So, when death visits our house we praise God despite our present anguish. When my family members have died, knowing as I did that they rejected God in their life and choose to serve false gods of their own making - yet even though they died in their sins - still God is praiseworthy and true. I might have wished that it not be so - yet it was, thus I must leave that with God who rules over this sinful and rebellious creation perfectly and justly. While it is hard to unblinkingly look at the final end of man - judgment and eternal separation from God, especially for those who I intimately knew and lived with for years, it is also unshakably true that the wages of sin is death. Therefore, whether men in this life seek eternal life and live or seek all manner of schemes to hide from their Creator and die, the one fact remains that God is true (always) - man is but a liar (meaning our human arms are too short to box with an infinite God).

Yes, I do feel sad for anyone who loses a loved one - it is very hard (even if you live life aware of its eventuality). Since the fall of man into sin (in the garden) and the curse upon this world that followed, it has been an unending history of tragedy upon tragedy with death a constant reminder of mankind s fall and rebellion. However, all this tragedy and pain is eased somewhat by the knowledge of the hope of things to come and the promise of what God has in store for those that love and trust Him. I hope that Keith and his family take stock of the greatness of God through these difficult and trying days, and will, over time, grow in the knowledge of the power and glory that is their Creator.

john

My deepest condolences, Keith.

Keith like everyone has said before me i'm very sorry to hear the loss of your father, as I read your story my heart sank as well as I could feel some of the grief and sorrow, my heart and prayers go out to you and your family and I thank your father for his service to our country as well, Keith may god bless you and your family, amen my friend.

Very sorry to hear of your loss,Keith the way you conduct yourself on this forum is a credit to your late father and how he brought you up.

"If the Army and the Navy Ever look on Heaven’s scenes; They will find the streets are guarded By United States Marines".

prayers of comfort said for you and your family!!!

chuck.

I am sorry for your loss and deeply saddened by the circumstances. My prayers go out for you and your family.
You have a huge soul and reach out in so many ways not just with detecting but the underlying principles between the lines of your posts that show the love your father had for you and the values he and you hold close to your hearts.

He is not really gone!!!!
Jim

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family, Keith. 16 years ago yesterday (Sept, 24 1997 ) , I lost my dear wife in a deadly car crash. It was the hardest event I ever had to deal with. But I am confident with faith in Christ that I will be with her again.

So sorry to hear about your loss. Keith.

My prayers are with you and your family.

Jerry

My deepest sympathy to you and your family Keith. Thoughts and prayers go out to you and yours.

Keith, am very sorry to hear about your father. We can thank our Lord that your daughter wasn't seriously injured. Peace! Jim tn

Well I just want to say I am overwhelmed with all the gracious replies and prayer's promised....

The people on this forum are the Salt of the Earth for sure...I have never seen such bountiful responses...

I am fine with God's decision as anyone should alwasy be and thank all of yall for the support and prayers you have bestowed upon My family ,,,My mother is having a hard time, she was His wife of 60 years...since she was 14 believe it or not,,, so she is very devastated and in very poor health for the last few year's...

Again thank's for the replies and encouraging thought's....

The Historian part of me wants to leave Yall this Quote From Confederate General "Stonewall" Jackson..An officer came up to him and asked him to stay off the field during battle and His reply was...

"My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed.
God has fixed the time for my death,

I do not concern myself with that...

...but to be always ready,

whenever it may overtake me.

That is the way all men should live.

Then all men would be equally brave.” (Stonewall Jackson)

I showed that to my dad once and He was quite taken with the Quote....He actually was intrigued by Stonewall's quote and life practice's,,,, Although Stonewall believed in predestination ....

Stonewall and my dad remind me alot of the same type person...My Dad was alway's wanting to go to the next life.....Strong Militarily speaking but compassionate religously speaking..

Keith



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2013 04:34AM by Keith Southern.

Hi Keith, really sorry to hear about your loss.

I hope your daughter is not mentally scared and gets better in time.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Joe

Very sorry to hear that Keith..Rest in peace

Keith, sorry for your loss. It is weird but this forum is like a family, and we all feel for you and yours. Take care my friend.

Sorry for the loss of your father. Thankfully your daughter is fine. Prayers sent.

My prayers be with you. Have been out off the forums for awhile, just stopped by to check things out.................Mark

Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

God Bless.