Good bye, Aunt Mary

What must it be like to die?
What must it be like to leave this body?
What must it be like to slip into the much better place surrounded by your loved ones?
What must it be like to fall asleep here, and wake up there? To pass away? To die.

Freed from an old body of limitations, poor memory, and pain.
Does the soul and spirit hover for a minute wondering why everyone is staring down at where you are no longer at? All they see is the empty shell. The worn out. The no longer needed. That body served you well.

Now your memory is back. Now it all makes sense. Now you see your sisters and parents. Now you are young again, and peaceful, and laughing. Now you are face to face with your Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. "Well done," He says. Well done.

One of my favorite websites is the Wall in Jerusalem. Also called the Wailing Wall. Its a place of prayer. Sometimes the live camera shows a crowd and sometimes just one or two. And on the Sabbath, they tilt the camera to just the stones. Here it is almost 8am in Texas. There, at the Wall in Jerusalm, it is after 3pm. They are seven or eight hours ahead of us. Is that what heaven is like?? Going to a place seven or eight hours ahead of us?? To our relatives on the mission field on the other side of the planet, they are almost done with today, and will soon be preparing for bed. 7am here means 7pm there.

To go to sleep here where it is night and shadows and to wake up where it is bright and light and wonderful. We will miss you, Aunt Mary, but we rejoice that your passing was peaceful, and we wonder if your reunions will last until we see you again. I am looking forward to the part where it all makes sense.