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Bittersweet
By Jeremy | April 18, 2005
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all I can only imagine ...It's not that Nonna isn't prepared to go. She's lived a remarkably full life, was vibrant and healthy past her eightieth birthday, and loves God passionately. Still the news is sudden, and the deterioration in the last two weeks has been so rapid. Plus, for me, she's one of the few living links to my own grandparents. Both of my mom's parents, Simon and Helen Vikse, died when I was very young. My grandmother passed away on a day she was supposed to babysit me. In fact, my understanding is she was returning home from buying me Dunkin Donuts when she pulled the car over before suffering a fatal stroke. I answered the knock on the door when the police officer came to deliver the news to my uncle. My grandfather passed on shortly after my fifth birthday, so I have just a few memories of him. But Nonna helped keep those memories vivid, not just because of her age, or the fact that she knew them. What made their relationship so special is the fact that my grandfather introduced Nonna and her descendants, one of whom I married, to Christ. In the early seventies, before the era of televangelists, Simon Vikse was one of a group of Full Gospel Business Men who sponsored what was, at the time, a radically progressive form of outreach -- an evangelistic television show that aired at midnight on Saturdays. Among the regular viewers was a disillusioned Brooklyn matriarch. After watching religiously for several weeks, Giovanina finally called the number at the bottom of the screen. The prayer counselor who answered the phone was Simon Vikse. He referred her to a church in her neighborhood, but when she realized he lived in the city, she only wanted to go to his church. She attended the following Sunday with her three daughters, including my future mother-in-law, and all four received Jesus that afternoon. For nearly a decade Simon discipled Jennie and her husband Richard, who received Jesus a few months after his wife. While we're praying for a miracle, it seems likely that Jennie will be reunited with her husband and my grandparents very soon. "Surrounded by His glory ... I can only imagine ..."
Topics: cancer, death, diana, faith, family, health, legacy, life, love, nonna | 2 Comments »
April 18th, 2005 at 12:06 pm
When my father in law passed away in 2003, we used that exact same song during the service. I can still see the pictures of him with my kids while that song plays…
“Surrounded by His glory” so true, yet so difficult
July 8th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
My grandfather, Demos Shakarian, President and founder of FGBMFI adored both of your grandparents and considered them as one of their closest friends. I used to date your Uncle Richie and knew your Mom and Dad. I have wonderful memories and pictures of everyone. cynthiashakarian@aol.com