Cherishing the Last Time
This past September, my husband and I took a trip to our home state for a family reunion.
The scent of Autumn in the air and the sight of harvesters in the corn fields ushered in a flood of memories. Where did the years go? Familiar faces with a few scattered creases on their faces and gray hair greet each other with a tender hug. There is so much to catch up on and countless stories to remind us of the good life we have known. Hard times? Yes, we've had our share. Past mistakes we have chosen to put behind us and in their place, savor what time remains. A partly cloudy sky set the stage for a cool breeze as we gathered around a picnic table and a potluck feast.
Then came the difficult part... "Goodbye." Oh, how I loathe that word. Uncontrolled tears rolled down my face and increased in volume with each embrace.
My soul reminded me of another goodbye spoken years ago.
Watching my parents' years on this planet slowly drift away made the nine-hour drive from Iowa back to Oklahoma seem like an eternity. With each year and goodbye that passed, a haunting question weighed on my heart; Will this be the last time?
Before the thought could linger, my dad's gentle, green eyes would look lovingly into mine as he said, "I'll see you again."
Dad has passed twenty-three years, and my mom has been gone nine years. Now, from out of nowhere, my siblings and I have become the older generation. We move slower and travel little, if at all. Our children are entering into the reverse role of our caregivers.
November arrived, and with it came another dreaded yet somewhat expected goodbye. My oldest sister passed, finally leaving behind the chains of depression, confusion, and dementia. For over twenty years, she mourned the death of her husband. Now, at last, they have been reunited.
"...you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope."
1 Thessalonians 4:13 NIV
The last time I saw my *sister, she was in a nursing facility. She did not know my name but knew we were family, and I loved her. We visited the best we could, and as I was leaving, I hugged her and softly spoke in her ear, "Remember that Jesus is always with you." She perked up for the first time in that visit and spoke clearly, "Oh yes, I know He is! I talk to Him every day!"
That was all I needed to know. Through my tears, I could have peace. Goodbye would not be forever. It was simply, "I'll see you again."
I've reached a point when I realize we don't know when "the last time" will come...
I can not give a date or even the year that was the last time we celebrated Christmas on my parents' farm with all my siblings, their spouses, and our children playing football outside in the snow.
I do not remember our last evening dinner, with just the five of us, before our three sons grew up and moved out on their own.
"How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it's here a little while, then it's gone." James 4:14 NLT
The holiday season is upon us, my friends—a time when we often find ourselves swept up in shopping, planning, and preparing for parties and family gatherings. But what if this year is the last time? Will it truly matter if the turkey is overcooked, the pie bubbles over in the oven, or the gifts under the tree aren't as plentiful as we hoped?
Time has become the most precious of all commodities.
Let's hold our loved ones a little closer this season, linger a little longer, and laugh a little louder. May we embrace this holiday as if it were our "last time," cherishing every fleeting moment.
*https://www.jehovahsgardener.com/blog/2019/1/28/loving-thoughts-of-the-marigold-queen