How to Say Goodbye

How to say goodbye when the years have been too short?  How to say goodbye when the anguish of life struck down in the prime of life is unacceptable, unreal and the question of why is unanswerable?  How to say goodbye when visions of your happy face flood memories until tears wash them out of sight?

Never hearing an unkind word leave your lips, your loyalty to friends was unbreakable, your love for your family was well known and your presence made its mark on a multitude of gatherings.  

I see your face and that beautiful head of hair, I hear your laughter, and I remember the casual and accepting manner you had, making me welcome in your home and in your heart.  I remember and I want those days back, to speak to you again, to hear you sing, to live another day in what we call life.  I want to tell you just how much I love you, how I hated to know your pain and powerless to take it away for you.  I want to tell you how terribly you will be missed, that you mattered to me and to many, and how sorry I am that your life was cut short.

My thanks go to the Lord tonight that you are no longer suffering, but I am selfish enough to have wanted a few more years with you!   I love you, Claire, but I know God loves you even more!

In loving memory of

Claire Winchester Riggins

February 5, 1954 - March 30, 2013

Letter to Santa?

The lights blaze outside my windows...of polar bears, deer, presents, lighted trees and Frosty, of course. The house is quiet except for the familiar words coming from It's a Wonderful Life on the television.  All the children and grandchildren are elsewhere with last minute celebrations before the big night, but my thoughts are with them during this wonderful celebration we call Christmas.

Peace reigns in my soul and the moment turns to wonderment of my numerous blessings.  Who can say why one who deserves the least is blessed with more.  

Grandson Caleb writes his letter to Santa asking him to pray every day.  He's seven.  He's blessed. He can teach us all something, can he not?

I read of a child whose cancer led to a liver transplant.  Her name is Gabbi.  Now, with complications following the transplant, our awesome God is being deluged with prayer requests to intervene, to provide the solution needed for this child, to grant this miracle so desperately wanted and needed...all the while acknowledging and accepting the supremacy of God and knowing His plan for all of us is far better than anything we could devise and trusting in His love and comfort.

This night of peace, reminding us of the birth of our Saviour, can be overcome with fear and anxiety when life intrudes, when the brightness of our lights dim with uncertainty and the inability to dictate the terms of our lives.

I cry with the beauty of my peace because I cannot share it with those who grieve or live with distress this night.  I can only offer my prayers to the one who can give the comfort and peace each soul craves.   

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. ~ Psalm 18:2