You Don’t Take It With You

You Don’t Take It With You

There isn’t a day that passes, that some version of these words don’t leave my mouth… to remind me of a life beyond what I see and feel today.

An eternal life…

And although it’s something we all kind of know in theory… it is something I’ve just experienced on a deeply personal level just a few brief weeks ago.

We take nothing with us…

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing hangs onto to our earthly frame when our spirit is called home.

No jewelry
No china
No cell phone
No thing

Not the clothing we love
Not the baskets we wove
Not the stuff we amass
Not the things we adore

I’ve come to expect and cling to these quick and daily reminders - these flashes of truth - as one book in my life has closed and another has begun.

The seeds planted during our hospice life have sprouted. And while they germinated in the deep dark valley of the shadow of death… I have only just began to catch new and particular glimpses into the glory and faithfulness of the Good Shepherd.

The Shepherd who continues
to carefully tend my wobbly heart.

Guiding when I could not see,
Carrying when I could not walk,
Healing when it seemed all was broken…

His faithful rod and staff comforted
and continues to comfort…

Today, dear dear friends - together -
may we find strength to look up.

To the hills…
from there
our Help will come!

May we eternally fight the gravity of our human brokenness which threatens to pull us under in grief and despair… and may we continue to remember our Creator. Our Good Shepherd.

May we train our hearts to see eternity.

Three weeks ago, early in the morning…
Heaven’s door cracked open
and welcomed our love Home.

And as we pass through this next chapter…

The Truth and Light of her most holy perfection reminds us… and sometimes we hear her whisper,
“You don’t take it with you.”

And we get about the business of living
with both grief and deep joy.