Life & Death

I am sitting in the Orlando airport preparing to board a plane for Detroit this afternoon. When I woke up this morning I wasn't planning on traveling today. But early this morning, my grandmother, Gramma Ollie, entered into eternity and I am traveling up to Michigan to be with my family.

She lived a long, good life, but her health had declined in recent years and she had not been doing well in recent days. So her death was not unexpected, but it still makes me sad. It's particularly hard when you live apart from your extended family and can't be there during times like this. I'm grateful that I will be able to be there in the days ahead.

The picture I've included here is from when I was a baby. It's my mom at the top, my Gramma and Grandpa in the middle and my brother on the left and me on the right. Sadly, only my mother and I are still living.

Because of my brother's passing within a year or two of when this picture was taken, I was introduced to death at a very young age. So like Jesus when his friend Lazarus passed away, I am mourning the death of my grandmother. But I do not mourn as one with no hope. I know that Jesus is the resurrection and the life and that I will one day see all those that I love that have placed their faith in him. My brother had done this in his relatively short life and, gratefully, my grandmother indicated that she had done the same late in her life. Death is hard to deal with, but it is also a reminder to value those we love while they are still with us.