1:43

I didn't think I would have reason to post anything more because Lorrie's journey and fight has come to an end but it looks like this one will be from her. And by the end you'll understand.

Lorrie's love and trust for Christ had never wavered for a minute even through the most painful days in her struggle to beat this disease were ahead. She had wrote on a piece of paper once that verse that says He "Christ" would never give you more than you could handle. Then she wrote "I wish he wouldn't have so much trust in me." Her strength and determination has overwhelmed everyone she met. Maybe because of her complete faith and trust in God to allow him to have control in her life, the final day had become more miraculous than we would had ever believed. Because the events are so vivid in our minds I know she has me at the keyboard right now wanting everyone to know the events that changed our lives forever.

On January 30th, Lorries condition had become very bad. She wasn't able to talk and because the pain was so bad, each time she would wake we had to super medicate her to keep the pain down so she didn't have to feel it. Each day proceeding her condition it continued to get worse and the pain was terrible. 


Now February 2nd and the day is much the same as the last but she is resting comfortably in her bed. People came throughout the day to visit her. Her uncle Brett and Ferris were out that morning and we decided to go and buy some Hyacinth plants for her because she loved the way they smelled so much a few day earlier when her mother had brought her one. I remember holding them under her nose and watching her respond to the smell of them was a welcomed response.

The day to turned to night and the visitors had left our home and we were at her side watching her breathing become labored and slow. Although we didn't say anything to each other, we all believed that this was the night that the battle would end. At about 10:45 that evening we were gathered around her in the living room when we heard three knocks on the door. We all looked at each other and said sure is late for visitors. I went to the front door and noticing no one was there I said hello loud enough so that anyone at the driveway door would hear me. Still nothing I walked towards the other door and looked around the corner and saw nobody there. Lights all on and absolutely no one there. Maybe a little weirded out I went back into the house.

About an hour later with Alicia and Colby sitting on the couch and I at the other couch next to Lorrie, Colby and I were looking at Alicia sitting at the right side of the couch underneath a wall mounted candle that had a cross glued to it when the cross just fell and landed on the top of the couch next to Alicia's shoulder. Confused by the second event in the past two hours we shrugged it off and decided to try to get some sleep. Colby and I had rolled up in a blanket on the couch and Alicia still in the same spot where the cross had fallen decided to sleep upright and keep an eye on her mom.


Roughly another hour had past when I was woken by Alicia saying "Dad..... She's gone" I jumped up and went to Lorries side to see if in fact she was gone. I was standing at her right side, Alicia at my right and Colby at the foot of the bed forming almost a triangle around her. Because the room was dimly lit I was trying to look at her chest to see if in fact she wasn't breathing and it appeared she wasn't. I had asked God to please allow me to be at her side when she took her last breath but it appeared it wasn't to be. I reached to her forehead and she was still warm but not breathing. I then put both my hands on her sides when she immediately took another breath and moved her arms. I turned to Alicia and said she's not dead Alicia. I looked back at her and she had indeed taken her last breath. With just a few minutes from when Alicia had woken me to standing there around her and realizing she was gone seemed an eternity. I realized then that Lorrie's spirit had awakened Alicia so we could be there when she passed.


Danielle, Lorries friend that was in the other room came in and when I saw her I asked her what time it was. We both looked over to the time on the DVR and it read 1:45. I wanted to document the time she had passed so I posted it as just that.

We had never felt as a family any pain and loneliness as we had early on that morning of February 3rd. The day was filled with family and friends around us and everyone said it was so surreal in the house. That was the longest most painful day we had ever felt as a family. The next evening we all sat around the living room discussing the events that had happened the day before when Danielle said to Taylor, Alicia's friend sitting across the room on her computer to try to look for a reason why someone would hear three knocks at their door before they would die. We read that the bible says that "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." Jesus also told the story in Luke 16:22 of angels transporting one particular believer at his death into the presence of the Lord. Though this is the only passage in the Bible that deals with this subject, it does seem to teach that this is one of the many ministries of angels. Thus today when a believer dies, we assume that angels bring them into the presence of the Lord. Was the knock at the door the first sign given that the angels were preparing her for her delivery into the presence of God? 


Keep in mind the times the number three which comes up so many times in the bible. Jesus was 30 when he began his teaching. He was 33 when he was crucified and after the third day he rose again. He is also the Trinity, God, the father and the son...all three the same. Ironically the first of three signs sent to us was the three knocks at the door actually three hours before she past. As Taylor and the rest of us began to go over how many times that the number three was being made aware to us we were beginning to believe that Lorrie wanted us to know that she was OK and that Jesus who said he would never leave her side even at the worst times in her life, was with her now. 


After compiling eight different similarities that had to do with the number three that night I knew in my heart that there was one missing sign from Lorrie left. The events that we had found included:

1. Three Knocks at the door at approximately  10:45
2. Three hours before she died was the first sign
3. Three signs had happened, the Knock at the door, the cross that had fallen onto Alicia's shoulder and Lorrie's spirit awakened Alicia to let her know it is time to go.
4. She died on Feb 3
5. Taylor, Alica's friend was at home that night when Alicia called her to tell her that he mom was gone. While looking at her phone log in her phone it read that she received the call at 3:33 am
6. She had been diagnosed with cancer three years earlier
7. All three of us were at her bed when she died
8. We had purchased a crypt for her months earlier, the space was 733 

We thought long and hard and it came to me after several minutes. From the minute Alicia woke me to the minute that Danielle and I had looked at the time on the recorder, at least two minutes had past. That would mean that Lorrie died at 1:43 not 1:45 as I had thought. So we left it at that. We had nine signs given to us we believe from Lorrie to prove to us she was ok and in the presence of Jesus. The ninth sign of the exact time she left to glory was that she was home I thought..... The next morning as I ate breakfast with William my father in law, I received a text from Joanne, Lorries dear friend. I looked at my phone and read what I will never forget as long as I live.... it read 1:43 the time that Lorrie went to heaven......143 means I love You. She was telling you guys that..... 1 for I, 4 letters for love and three letters for you. At that moment I almost fell to my knees. Lorries love for God and her always complete faith in God was so powerful that she made it perfectly clear to everyone that Jesus never failed her and that she was home. I am so very thankful for thirty incredible years, two absolutely perfect children and for leaving us with the most beautiful 9th sign...143.... I love you