The sweetest Lady died Sunday morning, the Lords day. She had been lying in a hospital bed for the better part of a month, her family surrounding her, loving her taking care of her and praying with her. The tasting of death for all of them…waiting, holding on to God, breathing in and out and in, sharing these last days of life.
Mary was looking forward to seeing her Lord, being with Him and the others, those who had gone before her; friends, family, her husband John. Yes, Mary was waiting too, to see John again.
Mary reminds me of another lady, one from a movie, a love story…her name was Rose. You know the movie, it was called Titanic. Rose falls in love with Jack, but he dies before her, though she mourns his loss she carries on, living life. When in her old age death takes her, she is reunited with all of those who died before her and you see her, youthful, climbing the staircase, all of those surrounding her, so happy to see her again with them. And as they move aside there is Jack standing at the top of the stairs holding out his hand, reaching for Rose…
This is how I see Mary, climbing the stairs, smiling, her arm out stretched, reaching for the hand of John, him smiling too…youthful, reunited…a love story.
Mary and John had a good long life together; they raised two handfuls of children and all of them raising more. Mary was well loved and she loved well; she had a kind word for everyone, an encouraging word, words of hope and faith and love.
The greatest gift of God is love. Every day I thank God for teaching me about love; for giving me the opportunity to know love, to have shared in it, to have held the hand of it…love.
Love is a hard thing to hang on to…living is hard and life is always changing, nothing ever stays the same. People grow up, emotions change, children are born, work takes over, life happens, children move on, people grow older…but through it all love is there, in the cracks, around the corners…up the staircases…love the greatest gift, the gift that binds everything together.
Here is a wise saying…It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. Love is hard, it is sometimes elusive but it is always there waiting for us at the top of the staircase, a hand held out waiting.
Mary is reaching out for that hand, smiling...death, a love story.
I love that.
