Sep
4
2012
Why She Sings
Posted in Heaven 6 Comments
They were married sixty-five years.
I would see them at church each week.
He, with his full head of thick, gray hair…his blue eyes sparkling.
She, tiny at his side, always with a smile and a song.
This was a couple…young at heart.
I would see them at the grocery store.
She, pushing the cart…purposeful in her selections.
He, sitting on the bench, waiting.
They had four children together…many grandchildren, and great grandchildren.
A legacy of love…that began all those years ago.
She called him Pop…all the family did.
She would be the first to tell you that sometimes they drove each other crazy.
She would be the first to tell you that she was married to her best friend.
They were perfect for each other…an example to follow.
Theirs was a marriage to celebrate.
A marriage adorned with the brushstrokes of the Master Artist.
He began to have trouble breathing.
Pneumonia…colds that went right to his chest…in and out of hospitals.
She knew that eventually she would be alone.
She didn’t know how she would manage without her husband…her friend.
She was not a stranger to death…she had already lost a son.
She trusted her Savior…with her son…with her husband…with herself.
She trusted…and that made all the difference.
We all prayed.
Every hospital admission…every visit…every meal…we were there for them.
We would be there for her…without him.
Months before their June anniversary, he went home to be with his Lord.
Family around her…church family around her.
She is loved…she is cared for.
She misses him.
He is buried in the cemetery…not too far from the road.
Often, as we leave church, we see her by his grave.
She knows her beloved is not there.
Therefore, we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8)
I saw her yesterday and we talked.
The small single tear, that is always ready to make its appearance…waiting.
She told me how she walks into church each Sunday, turns toward the cemetery, and blows him a kiss each week.
She told me that she goes to his grave and talks to him.
I know he is with the Lord…but I have things to tell him.
She told me that she sings to him.
I remembered this song…and I wanted to sing it….but I didn’t know the words.
A nice lady at the book store was able to find the lyrics for me.
I sang it for him.
He is so near the road…I didn’t want anyone to see me.
So I turned my back to the road and sang just for him!
When I finished singing, I asked him…”Did you like it?”
Now the small, single tear was waiting in my eye to make an appearance.
Here is a precious woman who knows the Lord.
She knows that her husband of sixty-five years is home with Him.
But…death hurts.
Death stings!
Death separates.
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?
(Isaiah 25:8; Hosea 13:14; 1 Corinthians 15:54,55)
She looked me in the eye and asked if I thought that was a crazy thing to do.
Absolutely not! I assured her.
She asked me if I would do something like that…
I thought of my mother, my husband’s parents, others who have gone before…
I am not much of a cemetery person…
My words seemed like an excuse.
I didn’t give her much of an answer.
What I would or wouldn’t do…doesn’t matter.
Everyone grieves differently.
There is no correct way…no set time period…no formula.
There is only HIM.
Jesus Christ…whose shed blood on the cross…whose resurrection from the dead conquered sin, death, and Satan.
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. For as in Adam, all die, so also in Christ, all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward at His coming, those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when He abolishes all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He puts all His enemies under His feet.
The last enemy to be abolished is death. (1 Corinthians 15:20-26)
The last enemy to be abolished is death.
Maybe…that is why she sings!
In fact…that is why we all must sing!
Gina,
You have captured the love of my grandparents so beautifully. We always thought the Lord would take Gram before Pop b/c she couldn’t possibly live without him. Instead, the Lord has chosen to take her precious son and her beloved and is sustaining her by His grace. It was His grace that guided them through 65 years of marriage and will continue to guide us all through this season of life without Pop. Can’t wait to embrace him again in Heaven.
Jen,
Your grandparents…two very special people.
I was blessed to have known Pop…and continue to be blessed by your Gram.
Miss you, friend.
Gina
Precious post!! Thanks Gina.
Nancy,
I am delighted that you were blessed.
It is a precious woman I am writing about…so the words took care of themselves!
Gina
I love that lady! (love you too!) – Was privileged to be a part of that conversation. – Love that you shared it!
Erica,
I know…
You and I had the privilege of witnessing love, trust, and faith…lived out!
Only you and I know the tenderness of that conversation…
What a blessing!
Gina