Yesterday the wordle word was mourn. I never noticed how close the word mourn is to moan. Each of us has loss in life. None of us can escape it. The past few years my life has been filled with goodbyes and walking beside loved ones on their way home. What I recognize is that death is not the scary part but the journey to it that can be so difficult. Whether death comes in an instant or with a long, drawn out disease, the end is also a beginning. The beginning of an emptiness for those of us left behind but a beginning of a forever home for those that die.
The speaker at my father's funeral thirty-five years ago spoke of death being a lot like birth. Some are quick and relatively painless and some are gruelingly long filled with suffering. What the two also have in common is that when the process is over there is a father waiting to embrace us with loving arms. A father on earth and a Father in heaven. What hope that brings through the agony of one of the hardest journeys each of us will one day face.
Caring for my mom on her walk through Hospice was bittersweet. Teri and I just put life on hold and were united in spending those months with her. The image that comes to mind when caregivers are giving care seems heartbreaking but the truth was days filled with laughter, Golden Girls, yummy treats and time together. Watching mom slip away was less difficult because she was not in pain and unaware of her condition. Others who suffer and can see their decline have a much harder path toward the end of life.
I used to believe that dementia was the worst thing that could happen to a person. Then I watched my neighbor and friend lose control of her body to the point she couldn't communicate through words, texts or any method. While her mind was sharp she just couldn't share her thoughts. Being trapped inside and dependent on others for even the simplest care, like brushing her hair, was so difficult. There is no easy passage to death. Even those who die instantly in a wreck or a sudden medical event are freed from the journey but their families and friends are gut punched with loss.
So true is the saying that none of us get out of this life alive. What we can do is cling to the truth that we will be seeing our Father and be reunited with loved ones in heaven. Honesly, my biggest worry is that Ron and I will most likely not leave this earth together. One of us will be left behind. I think that is why in the past couple years we have spent so much time together on the road in our little rv or here at home walking downtown to get coffee. Grabbing moments to remember for when our goodbye comes is a need we both have. Not that it will make the loss any easier but oh how I am loving this season the two of us share.
Faith is key to believing that our goodbyes are really until we meet again. Images come to me of those I have lost simply being in Christ's presence. Of course heaven is what heaven is and I don't know what it will be like. What I do believe with all my heart is that it will be incredible, surrounding us in love. I can't wait. No wait, I don't want to hurry toward it but enjoy my life here each and every day.
In Him,
Joyful
3-4-22
Being a Christians means we are given the promise of uniting with loved ones and being in heaven. I feel sad for those who do not have that ahead. When my husband died I finally realized that every love story/marriage ends, when a spouse dies. That is a lot of heartbreak. Thanks for your wise words here.
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