CeCe's Last Gift by K. Denise Holmberg


My writing and forever friend, CeCe Benningfield, recently lost her courageous four-year battle with breast cancer. Forty-seven years young, she leaves behind a devoted husband, Joe, and five children from elementary school to college.  

CeCe

To me, she was an inspiration. She wrote three books in the last few years while fighting a grave illness and caring for her family and their many activities. She had a passion for story that cancer could not steal from her. Thinking of what CeCe was going through often kept my "butt in the chair" and my hands on the keyboard. 

I don't know why the good die young. She was good. As a teacher, she inspired countless students to do their best and find their path. She even adopted one of her students who had been in foster care her entire life. She brought her home and gave her a family.

CeCe went home to Jesus thinking of us. This is an edited excerpt from a letter she sent to family and friends. It was read at her funeral. She was thinking of others to her very last breath.


Dear Loved Ones,

As a writer, you didn’t think I would go out with a blaze of glory to my Heavenly Father without putting my two cents in, right?

You have read the obituary. You know all about my life on the surface--the devoted wife and mom who loves you all. Some people know the real me. The one that Jesus transformed into his daughter. Hopefully, that is what you will see today.

God taught me through cancer, I control nothing. Not one blamed thing. This is it. Everyone dies.
And everyone will be asked to make a choice. Have you given your heart to Jesus?

Before I accepted Christ, I was unworthy. Unclean. Then I met Jesus. He took every ugly, broken thing I have ever done or thought of and put it on his shoulders. There he left it. My sins were cast to the east, west, north and south.

There is no other way for you to have this gift of freedom and entrance into Heaven. The world will tell you there are many “paths” and ways to get to Heaven. It is a lie.

Today is the happiest day of my life. I am so ready for Heaven. So ready to be done with the world that broke this body. My greatest joy is that today in Heaven, I am with Jesus, my grandparents, a baby I lost, and friends.

 I won’t have time to mourn or be sad. I will be praising Jesus, doing some work for Him and won’t have time to miss anyone. On top of that, I have a new body not racked with cancer and surgeries and limits. There are NO tears or pain.


However, while I am not burdened or sad, the time on earth for my children and husband and family crawls on. They will mourn, grieve, think about me and be sad. This is where you remind them I will see them again. Soon. I want them to marry, have children, live life, take risks, go places, touch people with God’s love, travel, see the world that God has created and love the people in it.

I love you all. I love you so much that I want you to know the truth. Make the choice to accept Jesus now. It is free. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. I want you here in Heaven with me. I want you to see me again.

Find Jesus. NOW. Don’t wait.

I love you, 
CeCe

I love you, CeCe
Denise






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