“To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.”
Although King Solomon seemed to be at his sarcastic best when he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, he was on point when he poetically divided the times of our lives into season. As I think of transitioning from summer to fall, I also think of life transitions – baby to child, child to adult—and that final transition we must all make – from life to death.
My dad died last night. He fought a courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease for many years, and was finally granted rest from his struggles. Half of his heart was already with my mama who left us two years ago, so moving from this life to the next was something he anticipated with gladness.
Dad had a heart for children. His greatest joy was sharing the stories of Jesus with little ones. He served long and faithfully in the ministry, and many folks have commented how his words and deeds have positively impacted their lives over the years.
Now, in the midst of sweet memories, I dare not lead the reader astray and make you believe that Dad and I always got along! We were both incredibly stubborn and equally hard-headed. I never quite transformed into the sweet, gentle woman my mama was, in fact, “sweet” and “gentle” are not adjectives normally used to describe any part of my personality! But I think he eventually made peace with the fact that his daughter was just as competitive and ornery as he was! And I think he was grudgingly proud of me.
We’ll miss you dad, but I can say with certainty that you are living your best life now. You are experiencing the joys you talked about so often. So, I’ll say “so long for now.” Rest peacefully until we meet again.
