Thursday, August 13, 2009
Death Reaps the Beauty of the World
That phrase has stuck with me since I first read the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever by Stephen Donaldson in 1979. I was 12.
This morning, sometime between 2:00 am and 2:30 am my wife's mother Ruthie May Brunner passed over into eternity. She died.
This morning, sometime between 2:00 am and 2:30 am my black shepherd, Shadow woke Janice up by licking her face (this was a first she usually wakes me up for her midnight treks) and didn't want to go outside. She just drank and drank and drank water, then laid back down near Janice.
Coincidence? I dunno.
Around 1130am this morning, Janice finds out from our oldest daughter, Jaquinell that her mom died...
Now I sit here, hurting for my wife -- but knowing how she feels (both my parents are gone). But not really knowing how she feels, cause her mother died a 'faithful' Jehovah's Witness.
Ruthie had been a Jehovah's Witness ever since I knew her, from day one when I asked for her blessing to marry her daughter. She wasn't always a witness though. She used to be a staunch Christian. With a deep faith in Jesus and taking her kids to Sunday School and reading the bible.
But somewhere along the way, someone said or did something (she'd never really say) and she left 'Christiandom' (as she would call it) and joined the Kingdom Hall.
Her faith was not a superficial one, even though I'm convinced it was the wrong one. She suffered from bad hips. But because she refused blood transfusions her 5 hip operations (yes 5!) never really went the way they were supposed to. Later, when she was diagnosed with Cancer she had to have a single mastectomy. I can't imagine that surgery went well either. Not without being able to take blood. It got to the point where she would not eat and refused a feeding tube.
She was on oxygen. If it wasn't for COPD it was for something close...
A week or so ago, we found out she was in hospice. And now today, she's gone.
Gone where? I do not believe everyone goes to Heaven, though I dare sometimes to hope they do. I do not know if her faith when she was younger was salvific in that it didn't last.
I do know that I will know one day. I know I've prayed and asked that Jesus would welcome her into his kingdom where the light never dims, and where we behold his countenance forever, walk with the angels, and know peace forever.
Please pray for my wife and her family, and that those in her family that don't know Jesus would come to know Him.
This morning, sometime between 2:00 am and 2:30 am my wife's mother Ruthie May Brunner passed over into eternity. She died.
This morning, sometime between 2:00 am and 2:30 am my black shepherd, Shadow woke Janice up by licking her face (this was a first she usually wakes me up for her midnight treks) and didn't want to go outside. She just drank and drank and drank water, then laid back down near Janice.
Coincidence? I dunno.
Around 1130am this morning, Janice finds out from our oldest daughter, Jaquinell that her mom died...
Now I sit here, hurting for my wife -- but knowing how she feels (both my parents are gone). But not really knowing how she feels, cause her mother died a 'faithful' Jehovah's Witness.
Ruthie had been a Jehovah's Witness ever since I knew her, from day one when I asked for her blessing to marry her daughter. She wasn't always a witness though. She used to be a staunch Christian. With a deep faith in Jesus and taking her kids to Sunday School and reading the bible.
But somewhere along the way, someone said or did something (she'd never really say) and she left 'Christiandom' (as she would call it) and joined the Kingdom Hall.
Her faith was not a superficial one, even though I'm convinced it was the wrong one. She suffered from bad hips. But because she refused blood transfusions her 5 hip operations (yes 5!) never really went the way they were supposed to. Later, when she was diagnosed with Cancer she had to have a single mastectomy. I can't imagine that surgery went well either. Not without being able to take blood. It got to the point where she would not eat and refused a feeding tube.
She was on oxygen. If it wasn't for COPD it was for something close...
A week or so ago, we found out she was in hospice. And now today, she's gone.
Gone where? I do not believe everyone goes to Heaven, though I dare sometimes to hope they do. I do not know if her faith when she was younger was salvific in that it didn't last.
I do know that I will know one day. I know I've prayed and asked that Jesus would welcome her into his kingdom where the light never dims, and where we behold his countenance forever, walk with the angels, and know peace forever.
Please pray for my wife and her family, and that those in her family that don't know Jesus would come to know Him.
