“Early this morning the sweetest grandmother of the world returned to our Lord. She had 97 wonderful years on this earth. All my love Grandma Leona. You have been treasured & you will be missed.”

My mother left that status update yesterday afternoon the day my Great Grandmother passed away.  Her final days were filled by family, prayers, memories, and quiet.  Her caretakers offered her comfort and dignity as they selflessly served.  As we watched Grandma Leona fade into the hereafter a slice of reality was drawn into the limelight of our awareness.  Normally death and mortality are afterthoughts in our business.  Normally our headlights are fixed on our daily duties, responsibilities, and obligations.  But these final days have shifted our gaze onto the brutal truth that we will all some day meet the same destiny.  We were reminded that saying goodbye is part of life.  That we are in fact not invincible.  Our death avoiding culture can only fight off the inevitable for so long before, before death.

I’m thankful that Great Grandma Leona had so many years with us.  My faith encourages me to trust in the sovereignty of the Almighty for what happens next.

The final face of death falls on her, its cold
Fragile, frail, and free there she lay, lonesome
The family stands waiting for a sign, of life
Remembering the time, wrestling with fate
cause we’re all fading

Where can we find peace
In this life there’s only grief
If we try to hold on to tightly, and forget

So we pray our faith it gives us hope, and strength
Our Father in heaven hallowed be, your name
Find us in this hour of our fear, and loss
Forever fastened to what we have, in you
cause we’re all fleeting

There were days before your love carried us
When we were lost in darkest space fighting for
Breath to fill our lungs, nurse our wounds, you found us there
We are just a day in this story, of your love