The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip

Authentic love is the greatest joy there is Miss Kelley, but it requires a thousand little deaths to self. ~Mrs. Kip

I want it to be known that I did my utmost to leave in my wake the love Jesus first gave me. ~Mrs. Kip

You have to be the friend people need while they are there with you, because it's the only chance you'll get.

I did a lot of hard things. But hard things usually end in the biggest blessings.

A leaf is a silent proverb. Did you ever consider that? When it buds on the tree, people rejoice. Throughout is prime, they love it for the shade it provides. But only when it reaches the end of its time on the tree does its brilliance come through. Sometimes yellow, sometimes orange, sometimes deep red. Dazzling in its artistry, like a drop of sunset you can see at all house of the day." Clara smiled. "A leaf has the most extraordinary death. There is so much beauty to it." Mrs. Kip

...use your love wisely. Give it away for its intended purpose, and don't be afraid to risk loss...Authentic love is the greatest joy there is, Miss Kelley, but it requires a thousand little deaths to self.

Sometimes we do things in life without knowing what ripples flow from it long afterward. ~Aidyn

The grave is not my final home. I want to live as if I believe that. By God's grace, I will live because I believed that.~ Mrs. Kip

She wanted to find the place where lightning bolts were stored, to discover where the wind began, and to watch as love poured down in generous waterfalls into hearts that moved in its current. What a joy to be among the chorus when one more of those hearts turned to the Son. How loud the sound must be.

Fear is an invitation to remember who God is.

A pained body with a broken spirit tends to recoil when the hand of grace first finds its wounds.

We don't stay long in each other's lives--that's the crux of our humanness. You have to be the friend people need while they are there with you, because it's the only chance you'll get. [Clara Kip]

Keep the fight in your veins, honey. Never let it fade.

Regardless of what’s ahead for you, darling girl, I hope that you will use your love wisely. Give it away for its intended purpose, and don’t be afraid to risk loss.

... she went toe-to-toe with the most vicious enemies this world sends our way. So many of us find ourselves at their mercy too. But Clara was one who chose to fight back with armor and a sword no enemy can steal away. She fought not only for herself but also largely for others. Especially those who could not fight for themselves. This kind of love comes only from a heart given in devotion to God's will. This kind of love, which crosses boundaries and boldly lays down self, is the love she gave freely and generously, because Jesus first gave it to her. She died in body only once, but she died a thousand tiny deaths to self before that.

Regardless of what's ahead for you, darling girl, I hope that you will use your love wisely. Give it away for its intended purpose, and don't be afraid to risk loss. ~Mrs. Kip

We should never underestimate the life-changing gift of friendship.~Mrs. Kip

Ours is a God of new life~Mrs. Kip

Hard things usually end in the biggest blessings. ~Mrs. Kip

I simply tried to love people as best I could for as long as I was privileged to be with them.

The sower’s job was to sow. Trust her success could be measured by how few seeds remained in her hand.

Lord, you are so good, and your love holds everything together.

She could practically picture the old woman scuffling about the building to places unnoticed, as if in a slow-motion game of hide-and-see,

Tell me, Clara, how does it make you feel that you can’t fix John’s death?

I mean I wish I could die a better way. Not here in this place, wilting my way into glory. I'd die of something....with pizzazz. ~Mrs Kip

I'd go through it again if that's what the Lord willed. But if I'm being honest--if I had a vote in the matter--there is one thing and one thing only I'd change. I would change the way I die."~ Mrs Kip