Life's journey is full of passages---from one season or event to the next.....until our final passage into the hereafter.
Passing from one place to another can take on lots of meanings. Often baby boomers see aging as a passage----a prelude to their "final" season or passage. Since December 14, I have had 7 friends or loved ones of friends enter eternity. A favorite aunt remains in hospice.
Death is definitely a defining passage. The life lived between the birth certificate and the death certificate identifies that final place. Knowing the Lord offers hope for one's eternal resting place and for those in the middle of the suffering it becomes a desired destination. From home to hospital to hospice to the arms of the God Himself. Those in "the shadow of death" are covered in grace and find peace as they pass over. They have the "foretaste of glory divine."
Those of us left behind are the ones who are grieving.
But God.....reminded me---be grateful for the life lived. Grateful for the end of their suffering. Grateful that our paths crossed. Grateful for the "blessed assurance" for these heirs of salvation.
