Constant Transition

When I was growing up I always hated it when people told me that the only thing constant in life is change. However, the older I get the more I realize how important it is to be flexible, open, and understand that there are no guarantees that tomorrow is going to be the same as today.

This past Friday, April 30, Scott's Grandma Dowell passed away. It's his mom Linda's mother, and she has been ill for quite some time now. Before flying out to spend my spring break with Scott in Clovis, I spent the evening with Paul and Linda at their home. The next morning over breakfast Linda and I talked about her mother, and the difficulties that have come with her illness over the past few years. It seems as if I'm getting to the age where my parents are having to deal with the inevitable aging of their parents, and so I'm watching very closely - trying to soak up as much advice as I can for when I will someday need to deal with aging parents. My heart is truly breaking for Linda and her sisters right now. I've been told that during your late teenage years and early twenties that it is normal for your greatest fear to be that of losing your parents. I often wonder what it will be like when I lose my mom. One of my close friends from high school lost his mother in 2008, and going through that with him was a truly trying experience. The comfort that always comes to mind is that while Mom is a role that no one will ever be able to replace, God has provided us with so much more -- sisters, brothers, spouses, children, grandchildren -- that will help us move on once our precious mothers have departed. Death, while it may mean the end of the way we understand and know life on Earth, is the beautiful beginning of our life with Christ. I'm not a big heaven and hell person - who am I (who is anyone for that matter) to determine what is going to happen to us when we pass away. The only thing that is certain is what we have been living. I think the greatest gift to anyone who passes is the spirit that lives on in the people in which they touched during their time on earth.

So thus begins a new transition period for Scott's family. It is my prayer that the services that take place this Wednesday give a sense of peace, closure and love to the family. My heart is with all of them and will continue to be during this time. I know how difficult it is for Scott to not be able to be with his family right now, but I know that his loving words and prayers will help support them more than he can imagine.