AGE HAPPENS

I just passed the day of my birth.  What did I do to deserve being born? Nada. Nothing.  So it is odd that we sometimes act like we are really something on our birthday, when the reality is our mom did all the work.  Okay, our dads had something to do with it a few months before our birth, but that is another topic for another blog.  I remember an episode from Everybody loves Raymond when Ray thanks his mother for pushing, otherwise he would be still in her womb. He always made me laugh. 

 I do wish my mom was here to thank for giving me life.  She died when I was 11.  I thought about her again the other day when I saw a picture of her 3 older sisters who are now a combined 286 years old.  

They are beautiful women who have been the picture of grace down through the years.  The picture of their hands grasping each other speaks volumes.  They are people that love openly and easily.  This is how they lived their entire life.  They hold life with open hands.  Not demanding.   Joy and grace is part of their DNA as they have allowed Jesus to be the center of their being. When they wake up in the morning, Satan says, "oh crap...."   Aunties Thea and Marge were both career missionaries, Cece was a faithful farm wife, like my mom. Cece is the oldest sister in their family, my mother was the youngest and died first.  Cece now longs to go home to be with Jesus. Her body is tired and frail, she is easily confused and life is hard.  It is one of the mysteries of life that she is living so long and desires to depart to be with her savior, while my mother was so young (42) when she died and was such a shock and tragedy.  It is one of those things that still causes sadness in my soul.  I wish she could have been there the other day with them, holding hands.  I anticipate the day when I will get to witness these sisters and my mom experiencing a grand reunion with one another and their Savior Jesus that they love so excellently. It makes me long for heaven.  I want to be there with people like them.  I am so grateful that Jesus has promised that I can go there. He will have a place for me ready.  I am glad. I have lived almost 10 years longer here on earth than my mom did.  It is all just a blink in comparison to eternity.

Heaven is not the 2nd best alternative. It is the believers home. Why do I so often live like I am going to be here forever?