There are few things in life that can be as pure as the love we share with our significant other. Our ability to love is one of the greatest gifts God bestowed on us. This month marks fifteen years since my parents transitioned to their everlasting life with Our Lord. My father passed first and mother passed away eight days later in church a few minutes before his funeral was to begin. I remember watching what I later came to know was her last breath. I continued with my father’s service while my brother went to the hospital with our mother.
Earlier that morning, my mother expressed her desire not to attend her husband’s funeral. I told her that she had to go so she went but she proved that she did not have to stay for the service. A week later, we were back in church for her funeral and she was buried with the love of her life on their 59th wedding anniversary. I am comforted by believing that their love for each other was so strong that even death could not separate them.
My poem, Not Far Behind, reflects my interpretation of my parents’ experience during their transition to our heavenly home.
Not Far Behind
Nothing seemed so obvious as this time for me to go,
enlightened was my heart, tranquil was my soul.
My ascension seemed just perfect, being drawn into His Light,
Lifted by two angels; guiding me towards the face of Christ.
My pain ever lighter, closer to the end,
burdens no longer shouldered, no apprehension to defend.
Beauty surrounded my arrival, yet words seemed too simple
to capture the full appreciation of the glory within Your Temple.
Moments of sadness entered, the absence of my wife,
Was she not ready to enjoy blessings of new life?
She deserved the solitude this sanctuary doth provide,
where troubles do not burden and anguish does not survive.
Suddenly, there was another presence familiar to my mind,
touching on my shoulder, and gently brushing against my side.
I heard my name recited with a sweetness from my past,
memories flooded my senses and humbled all my faith.
Could she have heard my urging for her to enjoy,
this miracle of salvation, this gift for the loyal?
As I turned, I saw her eyes, the holder of my heart,
the one I cherished more than life, the one I left behind.
Her smile ever-present, illumed by His light,
her hands, never warmer, her spirit, a welcomed sight.
Her logic was impeccable, her feelings on the cuff,
“Why stay, nothing’s left undone, we shared a life of
unquestioned joy within the temporal reign?
And now with His okay, our journey does continue,
together we explore, still blessed with His eternal love,
it transcends our human core.”
All my prayers well answered, my enjoyment not alone,
we dance in Shangri-La and rejoice in a love well shone.
Jeffrey H. Williams
©03
