Remembering Dad

Today is a bittersweet day for me as it is the second anniversary of his passing.  I am grateful for his legacy of faith and that he is with the Lord.  But I miss him, and spent some extra time with Mom today who said to me, "They say the first year is the worst, but that isn't true.  I think about him every day."  Its funny to me the different things that get me thinking about him.  When I use a certain tool or piece of equipment that was his.  When I drive past St. Joseph's Manor where he spent the last couple months of his life, or the old neighborhood.  When I see a schnauzer dog like he used to have.  A favorite movie of his, or going to the range and shooting with one of his guns.  Some of these bring a smile, and some bring a tear.

The holidays meant a lot to my dad and are always a time to remember him.  This Christmas will be the first time we go to Mom's and it isn't in their home now that she has moved to her apartment.  But we will still be thinking of him.  This will be his third Christmas with the Lord, and I can't imagine what it is like to be worshipping there.  And that is the ultimate comfort for me.  He is truly home, and is no longer frustrated by a body that was wearing out and letting him down.

Everyone experiences grief and loss differently.  I am not suggesting that my experience is the way that you must or should deal with it.  But thankfully for the Christ follower, death is not the final chapter, the end of the story.  It is a transition, from this life of sin and sorrow, to life eternal with our creator.  As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15, O death where is your victory, O grave, where is your sting.  Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through out Lord Jesus Christ.

Be hopeful, be hopeful in this season of Christmas, as we celebrate the one who was born to die that we might have this victory.

Blessings,
Dr. Paul