Was it happenstance or divine providence? At a very real level, I believe it was the latter. I thought she’d be home for Christmas. Did I mention that I don’t always get it right? Perhaps, as a simple act of kindness to family members here, her departure was delayed by a day. Yesterday morning, the General (aka – my wife) and I hurriedly made our way into Austin for the single purpose of visiting with a friend. Our friendship with Judy has extended the course of thirty-five years and our lives have been enriched by shared time. Our sons were second graders when we first met. Wow! That really doesn’t seem that long ago, but both sons now fall into the category of what some might describe as middle age. Despite my resistance, I guess that reality moves us up a notch as well. When we arrived at Christopher House, a hospice care facility, Judy appeared to be sleeping soundly. The last couple of times we’ve stopped by for a visit, we opted to awaken her for a quick hello. Somehow that conversation seemed out of place yesterday. As we observed her sleep, it seemed as though she was in a different place than we’ve seen her before. We were grateful that she was at a place where she was finally free from pain. I thought she’d be home by Christmas, but plans were delayed by a day. We received word about four hours later that Judy had gone home to be with Jesus. Was it happenstance or divine providence? I believe it was the latter. Last night, I chatted briefly by text message with a dear friend whose father died last weekend. His dad’s funeral was the day before Christmas Eve. He asked, “Did I tell you about dad’s watch?” He had not. He subsequently shared, “Dad wore the same watch every day for as long as we could remember until it stopped working a few years ago. We wanted to bury him with it, so my sister went to dig it out of his dresser drawer a couple of days after he died. It was set to the exact minute of his time of death.” Was it happenstance or divine providence? I believe it was the latter. He said of his dad’s home-going, “For the last month when my sisters and I were all coming and going at various times to try to maintain coverage, he would ask several times a day when each of us was coming and going, like he was trying to keep track. He was unresponsive for his last couple of days, but didn’t pass until my older sister arrived and my younger sister told him that we were all there, and said all our names. He died less than a minute later. Was it happenstance or divine providence? I believe it was the latter. I had the passing thought that I wanted to share a copy of my book BITTER OR BETTER – A Personal Walk Through Grief with my friend. It was my hope that he’d find it helpful. Surely, I’d have advance copies of the book soon. The book simply chronicles my pilgrimage through grief and the ultimate discovery that God meets us at the point of need. God has the amazing ability to take whatever comes our way and use those things for our good. My thoughts associated to serious issues of life were dislodged by Craig’s late night arrival. His family had come earlier in the day, but he had to work, so it was close to 10:00 p.m. before he made it here last night. His arrival was the catalyst for three grandchildren (who were already up way past their bedtime) to suggest that it was time to open the Christmas presents under the tree. Who could argue with that? Selfishly, I had the thought, if we unwrap gifts tonight, I can take the Christmas tree down tomorrow. Did I mention it was fun watching the kids open presents? Grandchildren are so much fun! As a grand finale, the General announced there was one more package. She then retrieved a medium size box that was beautifully wrapped and placed it in my lap. The box was heavy. Did I mention that the General and I had agreed that we were not exchanging Christmas gifts this year? Normally, we conjointly purchase a major item for the house. Truthfully, neither of us could identify anything we wanted for Christmas this year, so we agreed to simply share the gift of friendship. I was confused. I responded, “Not so fast,” and summoned the help of my oldest grandson to solicit a small lightweight package for his grandmother. For those of you reading this, I know what you’re thinking. You’re wrong. It was not a ring. It was simply a kind gesture at a couple of ways I could spend more quality time with the General. Did I mention that Neil Diamond is scheduled to be at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin for a concert in April? The General was elated. She was even more thrilled with the invitation to attend a concert by Celtic Thunder at the Majestic Theater in San Antonio in February. I guess I did okay. By the time my focus returned to the box in my lap, I had figured out the contents. It was obviously a set of bookends like the ones I had given a friend as a gift this year. Treva was with me when I purchased them from Restoration Hardware. How absolutely thoughtful! Did I mention, I don’t always get it right? The content of the package was not the set of bookends I had anticipated. It was something far better. The General is sly like a fox. It was her intent for our children to be present when I received advanced copies of my first book. The box I held in my lap was filled with copies of BITTER OR BETTER – A Personal Walk Through Grief. It really isn’t a big deal to anyone other than me, but having even a small book in print is a major accomplishment and fulfillment of a dream for me. I am deeply humbled. Was it happenstance or divine providence that my children were here? God’s gift of Christmas, his gift of Christ, highlights God’s ability to meet us at the point of need. Ultimately Christ is a bridge making possible our restored relationship with our Heavenly Father through forgiveness of sin. In addition, at every venture through life we discover our need for that which only God can provide. As I shared on the back cover of my book, “Life can change in an instant. The communication of news that emotionally knocks one to their knees and forever changes their world may come from any number of sources. It may begin with the ringing of a telephone in the middle of the night. It could follow the sound of the doorbell and discovery of a stranger on the other side of the door. Sometimes it is the flashing lights of an ambulance parked in your drive. The circumstances all differ, but the results are the same. Suddenly and abruptly, the overwhelming sense of loss and emotional pain make it difficult to catch one’s breath or even want to take the next step or face a new day. Living with an empty chair isn’t easy.” Fortunately, God comes alongside us and meets us at the point of need. Is it happenstance or divine providence? Today, December 27, 2014, is the 42nd anniversary of my twin brother’s plane going down over North Vietnam. The news knocked me to my knees and forever changed my world. Fortunately, with God’s help, I became better. All My Best! Don
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 15:56:16 +0000