Sometimes it’s hard to say goodbye. When my sisters who live out of state come to visit, it’s hard to say goodbye when they leave because we don’t know when we will see each other again. When we leave a job or home that we enjoyed, it’s hard to say goodbye. Some even find it hard to say goodbye to fall when winter sets in and they know cold is on its way. But I think the hardest goodbye we ever say is when a loved one dies. A week ago today we said goodbye to our precious grandson. That’s something you never expect to experience. You always think that you will die before your children or grandchildren. It’s shocking and it’s heart-breaking.

While our grandson was baptized as a teenager, we hadn’t spent as much time with him these past years as we wished so we weren’t really sure about his relationship with God. In the middle of the night Thursday/Friday and Friday morning I prayed that God would bless me by giving me some indication that he was in fact in the arms of Jesus. I knew that even though my heart was broken that he wasn’t here with me in person any longer, that would bring comfort to my soul. We buried him this past Friday. I won’t go into specifics, but God not only gave me an indication, He gave me two. God is so good!

Our hearts still ache talk to him and our arms still ache to hug him, But, we are comforted that he is with God. We are strengthened in our resolve to pray fervently for our loved ones, our neighbors and our nation. Some don’t know God. Some may know God but aren’t growing in their faith. Some are simply struggling and need encouragement. I am now much more prayerfully passionate about the salvation of others and more fervently praying for them.

We have beautiful memories of our dear grandson and I am so thankful for them. He was so very sweet. So, for now we have said goodbye here on earth but will meet again in heaven. Of that I am eternally grateful.