Well, Mom and Dad, you are together again!  Sixty-three years ago you were married and swore until death do us part. You celebrated sixty-one years together on this earth.  Dad left to be with Jesus two years ago, and now, Mom, you are with him also.  The neat thing is death only separated you temporarily.  You are together now.

This has been a tough few months.  When mom lost her independence, it crushed her.  She always looked at it as temporary.  Since March she has lost her independence a little at a time.  The hardest thing for her was when she was unable to drive herself wherever she needed to go.  She always felt she was going to beat this health issue.

My mom died of congestive heart failure, but she was a fighter.  She was always planning to get better, even though all odds were against it.  I have learned something through all of this.  When my dad was sick, it was tough.  It was hard watching the man who was my hero slowly waste away, but Mom was on the front line.  We helped, but she was there day in and day out.

When Mom got sick, she had to be taken care of.  She would constantly apologize for the inconvenience.  We repeatedly told her, it was an honor and special privilege.  It wasn’t any trouble.  When my son was helping her one time, he reminded her how often she took care of him when he was little. This seemed to comfort her a little.  Life had made a full circle.

Our parents or grandparents feed us and comfort us when we are little.  They wipe our faces and clean our bottoms. They teach us to walk, and the things that help us to develop in life.  As we grow, they become our friends and confidants.   They give us advice that may save us a lot of trouble.

At the end of life, we are supporting our loved ones as they use walkers or we push them in wheelchairs to the doctor’s office.  As they lose their functions one at a time, we must see it as more than a responsibility, we should look at it as an honor to care for them.

It is difficult to watch our loved ones deteriorate before our eyes.  We see the body slow down and lose its vitality.  I think this helps us prepare for death.  It is hard to leave our family and friends here on this earth.  We know Heaven is wonderful, but we really don’t understand how wonderful Heaven truly is.  I think if we knew how grand it was, we might be tempted to help death along.

When the body hurts and gets achy, we start to long for that youthful body.  When we see our loved ones hurting, we long for them to be pain free and in their new bodies.  We long for them to see Jesus.  You see, we must remember when a loved one dies, if he is a child of God, he is truly going to a better place.  It is not a cliché or something to say, it is the truth.

The greatest thing about death is that we will see the Savior face to face. He is the one that died for us and intercedes for us in Heaven.  Our Father created us to serve Him and to live with Him on high one day.  How can we beat that?

We also have a family reunion when we go to Heaven.  I don’t know exactly how all of that works, but it will be a glorious time.  Mom will see her husband, son, parents, grandparents, and the beautiful babies she lost that she has never seen.

When David lost his child in II Samuel 12, he told his servants something that brings me great comfort.  David tells his servants that one day he will go and see his son who had died.  David had fasted and mourned for his child and the servants were afraid to tell him the child had died.  In verse 23 David tells his servants “I will go to him, but he shall not return to me.” Praise the Lord!  This should bring comfort to any couple who has had a miscarriage or lost a child. If you are born again, you will see him someday.

This truth alone should encourage us to evangelize the world and especially those that we love.  Do you know if the people you love are saved?  What are you waiting for?  Share the Gospel with them today.  Don’t wait!

I got to tell my mom, “Good-bye, I will see you soon. Tell Dad hello and give him my love.”  Can you say that to your loved ones?  Share Christ with them today!   “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”   Mark 16:15.

Mrs. Worthington has five children and twelve grandchildren.  She serves as Principal of Pathway Christian Academy in Goldsboro.