life

Just the other day a friend of mine was faced with the ultimate thing that utterly makes life around you stop. Every second we seem to overlook as we continue on through our day seems to pause, and although the world around us keeps moving at high pace, we are frozen in a moment: the moment a loved one dies.
As I heard the news that my friend's father passed away after his plane spiralled to the earth taking his life, I was instantly reminded of the losses I have faced in the passed two years, which included the life of my own dad. I felt something grab my heart and twist it in pain.
Death is all around us. I don't know about other people, but a swear that as soon as we reach a certain age, it seems like death enters our life at a high paced rate and as soon as we know it we have great loss in our life.  Chapters are written in our personal story that we did not write and these chapters cannot be erased and re-written. They are what they are and we can reread them, taking in the memories, because that is all that we are left with for now.
I cannot help but feel a sharp pain inside my heart as I contemplate on this tragedy.  If I did not have hope in Jesus Christ and the future resurrection, which promises me that I will one day be re-united with my father, my grandparents, Brad Hartsook, and others, than how could I go on finding any joy in life. If we lost loved ones every year but don't have hope to see them again one day, than every relationship we make in life has emptiness.

But I thank the Lord that Tiffany's dad is in Heaven holding her precious baby girl Kiya who was waiting in heaven for her grandpa to hold her close. And I thank the Lord that my Dad is also in heaven, re-united with his parents who have been waiting for him so they can catch up on the many years they have missed together. I do not thank the Lord because we no longer get to be with our loved ones, not at all! In fact I think it would have been better for Chuck Matson to have seen his new granddaughter who was born two days after he passed away, and I wish my dad was here with my mom and to see his grandson Liam, and I wish my husbands Uncle Larry was here to be with his family and Brad was here to call his mom everyday and continue making people feel loved and accepted. But God has a plan, and I don't understand it, but I know I do not have to be afraid of where I am going because there are amazing people waiting on the other side.