Frailty of Life

Life is so precious...

    never take it for granted...

          please...I'm pleading with you...

   Why does it take a tragedy for us to remember how fragile life is?  It is in those moments that we tell ourselves that we are small, insignificant, and unimportant in the grand scheme of things...but that is so far from the truth.

   The past month and a half have been very difficult for my family.  My grandmother, Meme, was admitted to the hospital on January 8th.  She was in the ICU for 35 days, before passing peacefully from this world into the waiting arms of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Though not in the way we hoped, the Lord still answered our prayers...instead of giving the gift of momentary healing, he gave the gift of eternal healing.  She now worships at the feet of the Savior, experiencing a joy and happiness that I can barely even begin to imagine!    

   During the funeral service, my Dad sang one of Meme's favorite songs, "His Eye is On the Sparrow".  It was such a beautiful reminder of how precious we all are to our Heavenly Father.

   "Softly and Tenderly" is another song that has brought me so much peace and reassurance throughout the past week.  It came to mind sometime Friday night or Saturday morning when it I came to realize that she was most likely not going to pull through the illness.

"Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,

Calling for you and for me.

See, on the portals, He's waiting and watching;

Watching for you and for me.

Come home, come home,

ye who are weary come home;

Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling;

Calling, "O sinner, come home!"

O for the wonderful love he has promised,

promised for you and for me.

Though we have sinned He has mercy and pardon;

pardon for you and me.

Come home, come home,

ye who are weary come home;

Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling;

Calling, "O sinner, come home!"

And that is how it was...she was so weary of fighting...around 10:00 pm, February 12th, my beautiful Meme slipped from this world to the next.  She was surrounded by so many that loved her...a devoted husband, two cherished children and their spouses, fifteen beloved grandchildren, a brother and sister, and many nieces and nephews.

      Meme, I have so many beautiful and precious memories of time spent with you, those are what have been keeping me happy.  The ones that hurt my heart are the ones yet to be made...holidays, you being so proud at my "someday" wedding, seeing you hold your great-grandchildren for the first time...these are what make me miss you the most.

I have to keep reminding myself that you will be there, in my heart and in the many memories that our whole family shares!

I love you so much!

I can't wait to see you again...and am so thankful that, because of the precious work Jesus Christ performed on Calvary, our reunion shall be a joyous one.