A Day to Reflect

The final heartbeat for the Christian is not the mysterious conclusion to a meaningless existence. It is, rather, the grand beginning to a life with our Savior that will never end. -James Dobson

Last night, one of my good friends Janet, and a bridesmaid in my wedding lost her mama to pneumonia. Janet's family was the kind of family you want to get closer to. I can count on a few fingers the parents of my friends who had a marriage that made me want to get married. Tom and Marlene were that couple. I loved going to their house. I'm friends with their son Matt. Another good friend Amy, lived with them her senior year of high school and is considered "family."

Marlene had come successfully through a bone marrow transplant and was doing well when pneumonia came in and destroyed her immune-suppressed body. I don't think of any of us really dreamed she wouldn't make it. She was positive, loved life, and seemed invincible. Throughout the last several days as it became clear that her body was not going to defeat the two strands of pneumonia, her children and their spouses flew in from their international homes (Hong Kong and India) and her family gathered with her, reading Scripture and praying over her. Her husband did not leave her side.

And in the end, her family was relieved for her, even as all of us who loved her will grieve her, miss her, and wait to see her again.

Bedside vigils have touched my life a lot recently. Another good friend lost her grandmother last month; my mom has been with both of her parents at their deaths in the last few years. My father was with his dad at the end (and I was honored to be with him until a few hours before his death).

These vigils do nothing but convince me that death is merely a passing. They do not seem final; they are exhausting and beautiful, and difficult and reassuring all at the same time. Of course, all have believed and were resting in God's promise of mercy.

Today would have been my cousin Shannon's 40th birthday. As if I needed one more reminder to enjoy the precious gifts of the lives around me.

Through this I was talking with a friend that this really signaled a new era for many of us. Most of us have watched our parents lose their parents. And now, we realize, our turn is coming.

I'm heartened that the early church began the tradition of honoring the saints on the day of their death, rather than on their birthdates. Partly practical because dates of birth weren't always easy to know. Partly theological, because the day of death marked a new beginning. And for the martyrs in particular, their death was a triumph.

But for the Christian, a life lived for God's glory is a triumph. And Marlene lived life well. She touched the lives of thousands of children in her time as a school teacher. She loved and was loved by her husband, Tom, her children, and all of us who had the privilege of being in her presence.