Go with God

It was a beautiful day

The mountains soared snow capped

The grass, luxurious after furious rains

Lilacs bloomed

And perfumed the air

The sun warmed us, the wind cooled us

Friends gathered

And talked of those things friends talk about

Families, and crops

Class reunions and graduations

We gathered on the side of a hill

An urn of ashes before us

Death in the midst of life

But no

For this moment was not about death but about life

Yes

A dear friend was gone

Her question mark of a body stilled

Her mind, confused with dementia, calm

But  she was a child of God

Child of God

Child of God

As we are reminded by John in his first letter

“Behold what love God has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God, and we are!!”

We are children of God.  And to me that means some very important things

It means that we come from God

It means that as we walk through life, we walk with God

And it means that when we depart this life, we return to God

So death was not present in that moment

On the hill

In the cemetery

Nor was it present a hour later

When a frail body struggled to breathe

And failure

We lay him on the ground

Friends and strangers, and urged him to live

We pounded his chest, and sought to give him air

But his heart did not beat, and his chest did not rise

I held his head gently, staring into open eyes

Fixed and sightless

I held his head to establish an airway, that would not come

I held his head so he would know he was not alone

And whispered the only words I could think of

You are loved

You are loved

You are loved

Child of God

Child of God

Child of God

Go with God

And be not afraid