The stark reality of death

In Memory of Geoffrey Martin

who left this barren world for much greener pastures

on March 17, 2007

Crash!

The sound echoes through the silent night.

He never saw that piece of ice.

In that second he lost his life.

Now he’s gone.

Forever with the angels.

Never to come back.

Always to be There.

What do we do with this pain?

With these tears that we’ve cried?

What do we do with these feelings?

These feelings of shock and bewilderment?

We choose to live without regrets.

To love more deeply.

To live more fully.

To step out in faith more willingly.

To dream big,

To laugh often,

To hold a second longer,

To more willingly forgive.

And someday we will see him again

When we all shall live

Forever with the angels.

Where we shall never shed another tear.

Where we shall eternally be

With the One Who created us

To love, live, and laugh.

The place where our joy shall be complete

______________________________________________________________________________

For the friends and family of Isaac Coates
who also resides in much greener pastures
January 5, 1989-March 12, 2008

Tears fall unheeded
Death has visited me
It has left with my love
How can this be?

The horror, the pain, the loneliness
How can I go on?
How can life ever be normal again?
Laughter seems so far away

Deep inside I want to die as well
It hurts too much to live
The arms of friends and family surround me
How much I miss yours!

You dancing on streets of gold
The only comfort and joy I find
Your hand in His, basking in His smile
You are free from earthly chains

My heart aches but not for long
Soon I will join you
Together we will dance
Together we will be free

_____________________________________________________________________________

Sometimes it feels like people are dying left and right. The scary thing is lately they have been kids my age. Isaac was 10 months older than me. Robert, who died last fall, was younger than me. Geoff was almost a year older than me. I have a tendency to think that I've got a long time to live. But God has made me no such promise. I could die tomorrow. Death has no age limit. It's pain and beauty are not bound.

Death was never supposed to happen. But because we are never content to do as we are told, it now is. Because of sin, the pain of death engulfs us. I've been thinking a lot about death and how it is a thing of beauty and of horror.
The pain--the loneliness, the separation. The not knowing how to go on. All the tears, the not quite wanting to heal. The not wishing them back but still wanting them to be here.
The beauty--the fact that the separation is only for a short while, the joy of knowing that the person is now with Christ. Because of what we will be celebrating on Sunday, death can be a thing of beauty and joy. Never would I wish someone back who has gone to be with Jesus. The pain that might be faced to those on earth is nothing compared to the joy that they are experiencing. They are free from the bonds of our humanity, they are reunited with the people that have gone before them, they are with the One who created them.

One instant I’m born

The next the wind is blowing through my white hair

One final breath

Like dandelion dust my life is gone.

In that briefest of time

Between birth and death

How did I live, what did I say?

How didn’t I live, what didn’t I say?

Did I treat each day like a gift?

Did I love people while I still had time?

Did I take time to be a friend, mentor, and disciple?

Or did I squander my time and live for myself?

Living is a gift

Meant to be shared

It’s meant to be given and given again.

Not to one’s self but to others in need.

In this briefest of time

Between birth and death

Do I love and live for others in need?

For soon like dandelion dust my life will be gone.