Why?
I've wondered this many times before. Certainly, the fact that I am a snow bird has something to do with it. The cool weather, the autumn foliage, the goofy play time when you don't turn into a sweatbox, etc.
But this year is different. It's my second fall without my mom. I kidnapped my daddy and took him with me and my two kiddos to the apple orchard the other day, and I don't know how many times my internal self reflected on Mom and how much she would have loved to join us. I could hear echoes of her laughter in the breeze and in my memories.
I found joy there. Most people know my books tend to circle around the concept of death and hauntings and murder and ghouls--it's not for everyone, I get that. I also love to provide human explanations for those hauntings too, just in case anyone is concerned I've gone too far ;) . But there is joy in death. There really, really is.
When Momma found out she had a short while left here with us, she was centered on building anticipation for where she was moving to. The joy and the hope of her faith was so real, and eternity became far less abstract and far closer.
With faith in Jesus, there is so much hope. Death stings in the sense of sorrow and the missing, but it has definitely lost its sting because it is only for a period of time. This is why I write about death. Because my hope--my passion--is that readers will discover the grace of Christ and with that, death will become a passage across the finish life of this chapter and into the next. Death will not be a morbid, frightening, or horrifically traumatic loss, but a peaceful passage and a comforting move into a whole new chapter of life!
Death is not the end of life. It is not a loss of something, it is a transition of someone. This is what the grace of Jesus does. This is the hope we can embrace today!
So leap with me in autumn joy and renewal! Blow kisses toward your loved ones in Heaven--I do firmly believe the Lord passes them along on our behalf. And sing for the wonder that is forever and the reunion that is coming!
Jaime lives in Wisconsin with her cat named Foo, beta fish named Calico Jack, and her other three felines: Jupiter, Maddie, & Moses. She's been married over 20 years to her husband, Cap'n Hook who pirated away with her heart and has held it hostage with some ferocity. Homeschooling keeps her pretending to be smart, and her fierce daughter CoCo is a whiz in the kitchen, while her son, fondly called Peter Pan, is pretty much an all around mama's boy (she'll keep it that way as long as she can).
Along with her writing, Jaime also manages MadLit Mentoring & Assist which offers mentorships workshops and quarterly group mentoring to aspiring and established authors, as well provides assistant services to established authors who don't share Jaime's love of all things social media and marketing. You can find out more about Jaime at jaimewrightbooks.com or madlitmentoring.com
So well said, Jaime! Heaven is our only hope in life.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you're finding joy in the now and hope for the future!
ReplyDeleteI think of death as a breathing in here and breathing out in Eternal Glory. Also, I feel that our loved ones are only a breath away. Loved your blog post! God bless your sweet dad and your mother who knew where to put her focus! God is so good!
ReplyDeleteI am certainly happy to read about death like this, Jaime! I am comfortable talking about it. I took my daughters to the funeral home we used to care for my late husband and it's all worked out so when my time comes it won't be quite so hard in that regard.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your faith with us. God bless!
ReplyDeleteWe all took great comfort that she felt very assured and excited to move on to be with Jesus during my mom's hospice journey. It's never easy to say goodbye but it made the parting less scary and you are right-- what lovely reunions wait for us one day!
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