Barefoot in Heaven

One of the greatest joys in my life has been being present for the birth of my children. At 12:01 am on May 14, 2005 I heard Faith's voice for the first time. A few minutes later I was cutting the umbilical cord. Five months later on October 16th in the early afternoon, Joshua was making his presence known for the first time.

To be present when life breathes in the first breath is one of life's greatest moments and privileges.

Do we consider being present when a life breathes its last breath to be one of life's greaest moments and privileges? Indeed it is...

I had the privilege of visiting by phone yesterday with one of my favorite people in all the world. She's dedicated her whole life to education and helping children, teachers, administrators and schools become more than they every thought they could be. She's recently retired, but her heartbeat  for education and improving one's life still beats strong. She can't be more than 5 five feet tall but don't mistake her size for lack of gusto, energy and might. She is a bundle of energy, magnetism and bright lights for all who know her.

All of her students, some who are now in their 30's and older call her "Mrs. A." She married a man who is the salt of the earth and who just so happened to have a last name that is hard to pronounce for children. "Mrs. A" is what stuck.

One of the many things that Mrs. A is known for is her famous saying, "You knocked my socks off." Any time a student, a teacher or anybody in the community would do something incredible, outstanding and/or amazing she would say with great excitement, with eyes wide open, with a grin from ear to ear, "You knocked my socks off!" And then with a certain smirk she would reach into her coat pocket and produce a pair of socks!! The kids went crazy! The teachers laughed! And the adults wondered, "How did she do that?"

Last Saturday afternoon around 5:15 one of life's greatest moments and privileges came Mrs. A's way. All the grandchildren had called. The priest had visited. The nurses were ready. Mrs. A was at the bedside next to her brother and with one last breath, Mrs. A's mom passed away. She was 87.

As I mentioned, I had the privilege and pleasure of visiting by phone with Mrs. A yesterday. It was only the third day in her whole life of 60 years that she has been without her mom. They were close. They talked all the time, Mrs. A always looking to mom for motherly advice... and always getting it.

The matriarchal mantle has been passed down to Mrs. A. It's a mantle that we don't always accept readily and willingly. Nonetheless, the mantle is passed and Mrs. A was trying to get used to it sitting in her lap. We talked about such things on the phone and then the time came for us to hang up. I asked her if I could pray with her over the phone. Mrs. A said, "Yes, please.. I would like that."

I invoked the name of the Lord and praised Him for the wonder of fiberoptic technology that allowed us to talk and be close to one another even though we were separated by 2000 miles. In the middle of the prayer I began to hear that which I have heard so many times before.. It starts off with a sniffle and then builds into a cascading of tears and then the floodgates open and the weeping begins. That in and of itself is a privilege to be present with a dear friend in the midst of their grief and pain. We know what our friend's laughter sounds like, but do we know what their tears sound like? Of course, I started to cry as well on the phone with my own words becoming somewhat inaudible. I said, "Amen" and within seconds of telling each other that we loved each other the phone call came to an end.

Mrs. A... there's one more thing I would like to tell you...

On Saturday night around 5:15 pm your mom's last breath turned out be her first inhalation of the heavenly kingdom! The majesty, the beauty, the brilliance and the applause of the "great cloud of witnesses" and saints that have gone on before her and the fact that your mom was face to face with  God the Father and her savior Jesus and was looking at them eye to eye in her new heavenly body where there is no more illness, no more tears, no more sadness but rather full pure joy radiating everywhere and the fact that the symphony of the angel's voices were singing "Holy, Holy, Holy"... only one thing could happen at a moment like that...

It knocked her socks off...

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and fear not!
David!

"Precious in the sight of the Lord
    is the death of his saints." (Psalm 116. 15)