Meg suffered from Alzheimer’s disease the last two years of her life. She still recognized everybody, though she might not remember all their names. She is with the Lord now and I am very pleased that she is in a better place than I am. “Asleep in the arms of Jesus; what a waking there will come. When He comes with the shout of the voice of the Archangel and the trump of God; when He ascends with a gathering shout; oh, what a moment for us all.” We can’t imagine it, hundreds of thousands worshipping and praising the Lord. So that is before us and we are living in the light of that and seeking in every way to be ready to meet Him in the air.
I do feel lonely at times because Meg is no more with me. I didn’t realize what it would be like until it happened. Now I have no one who really knows everything with me and with whom I can discuss all matters. Of course I cannot be in touch with her in any way, by card or by letter or whatever. However, the Lord gave us 51 years together and it was very precious, it was in His appointment. She was a tremendous support for me. I don’t remember ever having a dispute or such thing. She went to the Lord on the 15th of December 2000. We had a nice memorial service when she passed. I spoke at that occasion and also Katy. She gave her testimony regarding Meg. What I said is this: “Jesus was first in everything to her. I have to say of Meg, she loved the Lord more than she loved me, and that was the right order. Because of that there has always been a blessing for me, her husband. If the Lord is first in a wife’s life, her husband gets the benefit. If the husband has the Lord first in his life, the wife gets the benefit.”
Before Meg went to be with the Lord she had said, “When I die, I want to have trumpets, a fanfare of trumpets, to celebrate the Lord’s victory in taking me, or bringing me through to take me home.” So there was a fanfare of trumpets on the day her body was buried.
When we went to the burial-ground, it was not to bury but to plant; to celebrate the coming of the Lord and resurrection from the dead. That thought was given to us long before by Watchman Nee. At the memorial service I said: “This is my testimony concerning my wife. I prayed for all you men that are here this afternoon—not by name because I did not know who would be here—I prayed for all you men here this afternoon, whether you be married or not yet, that you shall have a wife like my wife, who loved the Lord more than she loved her husband.
This is our testimony. We were one in body and we were one in spirit. God did not bless us with physical children. We were both forty-two when we married. Meg was a sensible girl. She said, “Oh, I can’t expect to change Fred when he is forty; I will have to accept him as he is,” and that is what she did. She accepted me as I was. We had fifty-one years together; she went to the Lord when she was ninety-three. But she went with trumpets and we expect likewise to be welcomed with trumpets when we go, when our turn comes.