Longevity Secrets from the Life of Bill Pritchett

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12 NIV

When Mom moved to Heaven, many predicted that Dad would decline quickly because they were inseparable. They were married over 67 years and went into ministry a couple weeks after the wedding ceremony. The last two years of Mom’s time here on earth, Dad was her main caregiver. Adjusting to her absence after this level of companionship and relationship required an extra dose of patience, prayer and, most of all, hope.

Do not forget to rejoice, for hope is always just around the corner. Hold up through the hard times that are coming, and devote yourselves to prayer. Romans 12:12 VOICE

When we spoke to the funeral director in Woodland in order to make all the arrangements for Mom’s services he said, “In over 20 years of being in this business, I have never seen anything like the scene when I went to pick up your mother’s remains.”

We asked him to give us more details and he told the story of the big smile on Dad’s face as he opened the door for him.

“My wife, Betty, woke up in Heaven this morning. She look as beautiful as ever. Do you want to come see her?” Dad exclaimed.

In order to get to the living room, they both walked through the kitchen were the Hispanic church family was preparing Huevos con chorizo. The food smells were delicious and the love of the Lord was also flowing in that house.

“Can you see what a glorious exit Betty had?” Dad asked peacefully.

“What you must know,” said the funeral director, “is that most places where I go and the person died in their sleep in their own home there is chaos, anger, shock and distress. Your Dad was surrounded by people who love him and he was embracing this part of his journey like a true champion.”

The many years of prayer and making it through hard times had galvanized an expression of hope in Dad’s life. I wrote a book about our grieving process of “riding the waves to comfort” called The Power of Hope in Mourning: Ride the Waves to Comfort. He was determined to continue to live in their little house in Northern California and pastor the Spanish church there. We visited as often as we could and called every day.

I called him on their wedding anniversary to check on how he was doing.

“Today is the first day I have been selfish,” he said with tears in his voice.

“What do you mean, Daddy?” I asked.

“Every other day since your mother went to Heaven I have felt great joy in thinking of the glorious time she is having with Jesus. I got a little selfish today and let myself feel discouraged. I know I will see her soon but God’s not finished with me yet. I feel such hope that I will see her soon so my joy came back.”

Dad had a unique capacity to find joy every day. Most of the time it came as he shared a smile or a chuckle with someone he knew or just met.

Longevity Secret #10:

Embrace your current difficulties with joy trusting with true hope for a wonderful outcome. The best is yet to come.

This post is part of the Write 31 Days 2019 challenge. Click here to find more longevity secrets.

Author, speaker, corporate trainer, ordained minister and Hope Catalyst, Karen Sebastian enjoys sharing her rich life experiences with others – engaging them in adventurous discoveries of the beauty of hope in a dark, cloudy world. Her books will inspire you to embrace hope no matter what you are going through. As a caregiver and widow she took brave steps forward to fulfill God’s calling on her life. She has now remarried and enjoys her new hubby and spending time with their children and grandchildren. To increase hope and improve relationships with yourself and those that you love, check out her Facebook page – The Power of Hope.