“A hockey stick-shaped cloud seen in Saskatoon and shared by Canadian hockey star Hayley Wickenheiser is being regarded as a tribute to the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash that killed 16 people.” This is a news clip I saw on Twitter last night and I find it very comforting.
In the past few days we have relived the death of Jesus and his resurrection from the dead.
Now He speaks to all of us for whom He died…that means all of us.
“Here I am. I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in and eat with him and he with me.” Rev. 3:20
Who will acknowledge the knock of the Visitor, hear that gentle voice and respond to the invitation to dine with the One whose love for us knew no bounds.
I was ten years old when that gentle tap came to the door of my heart. I often wonder what my life would be like if I had not invited Him in.
How about you? Is it time for you to open the door to the Visitor?
He was a new member of our choir when he offered a solo rendition of How Great Thou Art. The strong, mellow baritone voice filled the sanctuary with sonerous sounds and a feeling of awe.
On Friday a gathering of friends, family and church family sang this very hymn in honor of yet another of our members who left us to sing in Heaven’s choir, after many years of loyal service in our church.
Laurie will be so missed by so many and I, for one, could feel his presence on Friday as we sang his favorite hymn, How Great Thou Art.
One hour after her eightieth birthday, Barbara was blowing out candles in heaven. It was one birthday her husband and daughters could not attend physically, but be sure they were wishing her well in the midst of their own grief.
Two months after his one-hundredth birthday, Bob traded in his wheelchair on earth for a chariot in heaven. Bob’s birthday party was well attended and a resounding rendition of “Happy Birthday to You” filled the auditorium of St. Andrew’s Scarborough where both Bob and Barbara had attended for many, many years.
Yes, in January we at St. Andrew’s bade farewell to two more of our dearly loved members; people who not only attended the church but attended to the church in so many ways over the years.
We were one month into the new year when Barbara and Bob climbed that stairway to heaven, following in the footsteps of the many who had gone before them. We at St. Andrew’s who love our people deeply, also grieve deeply when they answer that final call to “Come Home.”
Although they leave behind two separate families who miss them, they also leave behind one church family who misses them also.
And so we say not “Good-bye” to Barbara and Bob, but “Just for now.”
Having just attended a funeral on January 24th and another one today, I found this blog by Bonnie on WordPress to be quite true and touching. I trust she won’t mind my sharing it. May your Saturday be blessed.
Life’s journey is taken one step at a time. There are times when we can see ahead and other times when the view is blocked. There are moments when we walk alone and there are moments of togetherness.
For every beginning, there is an ending in this life. For every hello, there is a goodbye. Enjoy your journey and savor each step along the way.
We all know that pets can be more than that as they take their place in our families and our hearts. Losing them to death, then, becomes as soul-wrenching as losing one of human family members. Here is what my sister, Mary, felt when one of her dearly beloved pets, her dog, Farleigh, became a treasured memory. Mary would appreciate knowing how many of us feel the same way.
My sister, Mary, and I grew up without our father in our lives. We have both lived eighty years, more or less, (I, more…she, less) and still the memory of what we missed haunts each of us. Mary recently put her sorrow into a poignant poem, and with her permission I’m sharing it here.
She smiles across the table
Over a cup of tea
Into eyes that have smiled
Back eternally
Does she know how blessed she is
To have her father there
To feel the soft caress
Of his hand upon her hair
I never knew my father
To sit upon his lap
Feel his arms around me in a dance
Her father’s hair is silver
His hand trembles on his cup
She reaches out to help him
His smiling eyes light up
I close my eyes in sorrow
To have missed so much
To not have a memory
Of my fathers touch
©Mary Frances Martin
To those who have lost their fathers either by death or separation, we feel your pain and pray that you have at least your fondest memories. Unlike my sister, I have vague memories of our father before he left our lives…not by death but by separation, and I treasure the little I have.
Well, the world, and Canada in particular, has lost another one of its stellar people. At the age of fifty-three, Gord Downie, frontman for the Tragically Hip music group, succumbed to the brain cancer that had been a part of his life for the past two years. But before Gord left he made sure to leave a lovely legacy of love with us. His music, poetry, writings, quotes, and general “live for love” attitude will long remain in the minds of those who knew him or of him in his lifetime.
Here is a short clip from a Tragically Hip statement on Gord’s death:
Gord knew this day was coming – his response was to spend this precious time as he always had – making music, making memories and expressing deep gratitude to his family and friends for a life well lived, often sealing it with a kiss… on the lips.
Gord said he had lived many lives. As a musician, he lived “the life” for over 30 years, lucky to do most of it with his high school buddies. At home, he worked just as tirelessly at being a good father, son, brother, husband and friend. No one worked harder on every part of their life than Gord. No one.
There are those of us who have lived a lengthy life and are ready to ready to make that next step.
And then, like Gord Downie, there are those of us whose lives are brought to a close long before we think our time is up.
It’s a matter of how well we live our lives that counts, how much good we do, how much love we share while we are here that counts because in the end every single one of us will experience the matter of dying. Gord did it so well.
RIP Gord Downie.
Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4 NIV
On Thursday I attended another end-of-life celebration. A dear friend in her 95th year had been declining for a few years after breaking a hip which never completely healed. This robbed her of her active life and eventually landed her into a long-term-care facility where each year she longed to be closer to her Maker.
Not long ago as I entered her room for a visit she called out, “Oh, Pat. I’m still here and I don’t know what to do.” “Well, Carol,” I replied, “there is a long line of people waiting at the gates of Heaven and you will just have to be patient and wait your turn.”
Carol had been very active in our church and community for over sixty years and as one of our elders, cared deeply for those in her care. She, too, had been a comforting visitor to many people and had seen many of her friends climb that stairway to heaven.
I had the opportunity and pleasure of meeting her two sons and daughter on many occasions while visiting Carol. Their love for their mother was very evident in the way they each attended to her needs at various times. There was affection, gentle chiding, wholesome conversation and endless hours of just being with her. They were always standing by her side.
Yesterday I heard that wonderful song, “Stand by Me” and it brought tears to my eyes as Carol and her devoted family came into my mind.
Don’t we all need somebody to Stand by Me? Enjoy this rendition from many parts of our world and have a Happy Saturday.
It came to my attention today that a Scarborough MP recently died of cancer. Arnold Chan was fifty years of age and a well respected and loved politician who was first and foremost a humanitarian who cared deeply for his constituents and fellow Members of Parliament. He was said to be positive, optimistic and full of energy.
After hearing a replay of one of his speeches, this particular sentence stood out for me…”That is the challenge that is going on around the world right now,” he said. “No one is listening. Everyone is just talking at once. We have to listen to each other.”
“We have to listen to each other.” How profound is that? And how timely? And how to the point…whether in politics, families, friendships, relationships, marriages…”We have to listen to each other.”
These words remind me of a line from the famous poem, “Desiderata”: And listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, for they too have their story.
Some people leave this world a better place by the things they have said and done. Arnold Chan was one of those people just by uttering that single sentence…”We have to listen to each other.”
My Precious Life 