I read Cindy's beautiful post about her dad, "Grandpa", who is nearing the last hours of his life and remembered well the two hours or so I spent in his presence when I visited Cindy a few years ago. Gracious, gentle, smart, wise, energetic, full of life... such an amazing person. Because I am married to a United Methodist minister, knowing he had lived that life brought us an additional connection -- as well as the fact that his daughter, even more nuts than we are, was raising the same kind of kids.
My tears are for Cindy and her family as they say goodbye to him, but they were selfishly for me as well because my children have never gotten to know my father. Our choices, both my parents' and mine, to serve God where he planted us leave us 1420 miles apart and we only see each other once a year. A godly former minister himself, my dad recently turned 88. My parents, married when they were 33 and 40, never dreamed they might see their 50th, but their 48th anniversary was a few weeks ago and my Dad on the phone told me, "Well, we've talked it over, and we've decided to go for 49." WE both laughed as never once has divorce been an option for them. I remember an argument when I was in 3rd grade with a friend who said, "you don't KNOW that your parents will never get divorced." And I, with fire in my eyes, said, "Yes I DO." I was THAT confident.
I love the way that Cindy and her family are both grieving saying goodbye but grateful for the years that they have had together. Please pray for them as there will be rough weeks ahead as kids process their grief and it triggers all kinds of icky stuff that lies inside their hearts. And pray for Cindy as she handles it on a day to day basis.
And, since I've now moved into the mode of telling you what to do, I hope that you will take time to appreciate the people in your life who are around you every day. Sometimes we need reminders to do that, don't we?
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