The summer visiting is almost at an end. Germany will leave early Tuesday morning. They’ve been here again since Thursday night, and it’s been a good weekend. When they leave early Tuesday, I know it will be a long time before we see them again. The goodbyes are never easy.
It doesn’t seem so very long ago that Terry and I, with our four kids, were the ones backing out of my parents’ driveway while they stood at the doorway waving goodbye. It’s astonishing how fast we became the aged grandparents 🙂 But now, my kids are watching THEIR kids leave the nest, some going to the other ends of the earth.
Of course the song “Sunrise, Sunset” from Fiddler on the Roof is playing in my head right now.
Along with it, though, are thoughts of the time when we’ll never have to say goodbye again.
Life changes. We start with hope, dreams, expectancy. The future seems limitless, the possibilities endless. As we walk the pathways of our lives, if we are believers, we know and understand that there is eternity with God in our future. It seems so far away, though, as we get tied up in the daily necessities of life. And so it should be, to a great extent. God didn’t create us so that we could just sit idly and contemplate eternity. He gave us the privilege of work, of achieving goals, of falling in love, having children, passing on to them what we have learned in life. He gave us minds to learn, an abundance of interests to pursue, abilities to develop, humor, joy, sadness and sorrow.
Not every moment of my life has been a party. Some of it has been very hard, and still is. But I’m still learning. God is so good, teaching us that with every trial there is blessing.
Here’s another favorite hymn from my growing up years that holds the answer to both the hard times and the joy:
Linda's Bible Study 
The memories are such a blessing, yet the good-byes are hard. Life is just a series of seasons.
When my mom moved to Florida, I thought I would just die. How would I go from frequent visits to possibly once or twice a year? Two words; But God. The Lord knows exactly what we need and He graciously allowed me several visits to FL as well as my mom coming up here. Many of those visits were 2 sometime 3 weeks at a time. Memories were made with each visit (some good some not so good) and time was truly redeemed.
As I read your post, I was also reminded how quickly time has passed. I am so incredibly thankful for my home in Heaven because it makes the final earthly good-byes not so final.
I was incredibly close to my poo-pop. When he passed away, I was crushed and completely lost. I still remember the mourning that seemed like a knife in my heart with every thought of him. I was 17. He was the main male in my life. I was not saved, without the hope that Jesus gives.
Fast forward to today, I have lost many close family members in the past few years, most notably my mom. The difference with the salvation I have and the hope of Heaven, has made the sting of death and the final earthly good-bye so very different.
As I reflect on the memory of my loved ones, the memories made here on earth are the precious gifts that God has given me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Cindy. You and I have an eternal bond 🙂
LikeLike