Life 101

Life lessons can be tricky to teach to a young child. Our children understand that Aunt Paula died and is now in heaven. They understand that her body got very sick and God took her home to be with him.

Yesterday 5 year old Gus heard me say that I was talking to a friend, Paulette, on the phone. He then began a conversation that went something like this:

Gus: You called Aunt Paula Mom?!

Me: No, Gus, I called my friend Paulette.

Gus: Because you can't call Aunt Paula can you?

Me: No, I can't Gus. She is in heaven.

Gus: You can't talk to her right?

Me: You're right. We can't talk to Aunt Paula but we know she is safe with God in heaven. Someday we will see her again when we are in heaven.

Gus: Will we die?

Me: Yes. Everyone on earth will die. It is part of life.

Gus: Will you die Mom? When will you die Mom?

Me: Well Gus no one knows when they will die.

All the while I was wishing this topic wasn't so real to our family right now.

Mark's family is having a memorial service in Cincinnati for Paula this weekend. We felt it was important for extended family and local friends to have the opportunity to celebrate her life. Mark and I have been given the responsibility of taking the three eulogies from the funeral in California and combining them into a "reflections" segment of the service. So many emotions came flooding back this morning as I sat down to review the eulogies. One eulogy was from Paula's friends, one from her husband, and one from her immediate family. Paula was a daughter, sister, cousin, niece, aunt, wife, mother, and friend to many. I pray that our words will honor her this weekend. Mark has agreed to speak but has asked me to accompany him and be prepared to speak if he cannot. I ask that you remember the service in your prayers, and that we would stand together and speak words which honor Paula.

While her death may not make sense to us, we must move forward and continue learning life lessons. It simply isn't logical for a loving, compassionate, and dedicated mother to leave her family - specifically two young sons - but our lives here on earth are not meant to be eternal.

We chose this scripture to be read at her funeral in California and will do so again this Saturday.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16 - 18