Declaring The Marvelous Works Of God

It's been one week since my last blog post. One week since our beautiful granddaughter passed away. In fact, I received the news that she had died, while I was writing about her that Sunday, a week ago today.

This past week has been filled with lots of tears and lots of laughter, feelings of great loss and moments of great joy.

And in the stories told and re-told by my wife, who spent the last two hours of Elania's life by her side, I have found incredible peace, comfort, and wonderful victory.

In the last hours of her life, Elania so allowed God to fill her and move through her that those who came to comfort her, were comforted by her. Those who came to be strong for her, were made strong in her strength. Those who came to calm her fears, had their fears relieved by her fearlessness. In her passing there was great peace for all who would take it.

Over the almost nine years of Elania's short life, my wife and I, along with countless others, have prayed for her. In our prayers, one of the things that Nan and I would boldly declare was that Elania would "live and not die, and declare the marvelous works of God!"

In our minds, we saw her as a young adult, free from cancer, completely whole, ministering the good news of God's love to thousands of people all over the country, forever changing people's lives.

But, how many of you know that God sometimes sees things a little differently than we do? His ways and thoughts are higher than ours, and because He knows the beginning from the end, we can be at peace knowing ". . . that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." --Romans 8:28 (NKJ)

You see He did answer our prayers. For in dying in Christ, Elania forever lives, free from cancer, completely whole. And through her life and in her passing, the marvelous works of God are being declared to thousands of people all over the country, who are being forever changed.

And that's only what's happening now! This has only just begun! The full story of her life and death hasn't even been told, yet. That story is for her Nana to write and to tell.

And in the days to come, she will write it and she will continue to tell it to all who will listen, again and again.

And if you ever read it or hear it, you will never be the same again. It simply is not possible to hear the story and not be changed!

Talk about making your life count for something! You did it, Elania! You did it!


I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. --Psalm 9:1-2 (NKJ)

It's Okay To Be Done

“I’m done!” Elania announced to my wife, Nan, with a sigh.

Nan was rushing through the airport, several years ago, with her two grandchildren trying hard not to miss the connecting flight that would bring them back to Florida. With her baby grandson, Shane, in her arms, along with the all the paraphernalia that comes with traveling with a baby, she had been trying to encourage her three year old granddaughter to walk faster, when Elania decided she was too tired to go on.

And so, she told her “Nana” she was “done.”

“No, baby, you can’t be ‘done!’” Nan cried, more than a little panicked at the fact that Elania had just stopped right where she was. “Just a little further!”

After some pleading, Nan managed to convince her to push through and they made the flight.

During the year prior to coming to stay with us in Florida for a short time, Elania had proved herself to be quite a little fighter. She had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. After surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments and a second surgery, things looked good for a complete recovery.

Life went on for the next several years, but then the cancer returned. More surgery, more chemotherapy, and surgery yet again, are the events that have marked her life over the past couple of years.

While recovering from the most recent surgery, and as she was about to begin yet another round of chemotherapy and radiation, she contracted an infection that left her too weak to proceed with the treatment. It was also discovered that small piece of the tumor that they not been able to remove during the last surgery, had grown aggressively.

There was nothing left to do, but leave her in God’s hands.

Yesterday, as she lay in her hospital bed, she told her dad that she hoped her mom would hurry up and get there because she was really tired. She was tried of fighting, and she wanted to go home.

When I heard what she had said, I knew, in my heart, she was saying, “I’m done.”

Part of me wanted to cry out, “No, baby, you can’t be done!”

But how can you say that to a child that has had to go through all that she has been through in the almost nine years of her short life. Hasn’t she earned the right to just be done?

Her mom did get there. Nan also got there and they spent last night and this morning singing songs to her, sharing hugs, kisses, and smiles and Elania even laughed.

Nan told her, "Elania, you’re so strong!"

Elania nodded her head in agreement and then flexed her muscles for Nan.

Nan said, “You make me strong.“

Then late this morning, she was done, and she went home to heaven.

While our hearts are torn and broken, we rejoice that she is free, and safely home at last.

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelations 21:4 (NKJ)

Elania Marie Canady, September 19, 2000 - September 6, 2009