I know God has made everything beautiful for its time. God has also placed in our minds a sense of eternity. Ecclesiastes 3:11 VOICE
I stood up to lead the small group gathered in the funeral home in some old songs. We were gathered to celebrate the life a former classmate in Bible College. She and her husband had seemed so much older than us when we were in school. Now we can see that the years have blurred as we recounted her giftings, and shared what she and her husband had deposited into our lives.
The last few years of her life were difficult for her as her mind faded more and more to the point that she even forgot how to speak and could not swallow. Still, when we sat with her, her grip was firm and she followed us closely with her eyes. She knew we were there and she wanted to tell us so much. Last Thursday night, she had looked up with surprise in her eyes and wanted to talk. We’re confident she was seeing angels.
It was truly a happy/sad gathering. We are happy for Norma that she has now been released to once again fully worship her Savior and get a hug from her beloved husband, Bob, who moved to Heaven years before. We are sad that we will not see her again on this side.
We sang her favorite hymns with all our might even though we had to fill in the blanks at times with LA-LA-LA since there were no words up on the wall. We clapped as we sang Victory in Jesus and cried while worshipping our Lord together as we sang how He can make something beautiful out of our lives. There really is just something about the name of Jesus. We all experienced a taste of eternity.
I pray that when it’s my time to move permanently, that others will say that I never had a negative word to say about anyone.
Release is bittersweet. I choose to enjoy the sweet memories.
This is a blog written as a part of Five Minute Friday prompt. Please join a vibrant community who blogs for five minutes on one word every Friday by clicking here.
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. To increase hope and improve relationships with yourself and those that you love check out her Facebook page – The Power of Hope.
