I got the call this morning that I knew was coming soon.
My grandmother has been dreaming of heaven for years.Having lived a long and full life, she wanted nothing more than to see Jesus face to face, and be reunited with her two husbands who've gone before her.
Last night she breathed her last breath of earthly air,
and woke up in heaven.
It's beyond me to really grasp that.
I know it is true...and so did she. She longed to leave here and move to her permanent heavenly address. I'm trying to picture her this morning...
such a different picture than when I last saw her to say "good-bye for now".
Her form was so frail and thin....
Today she's free of pain and restlessness...
and she might even be doing a little dancing!
I'm not sure I've ever seen her dance, but I've witnessed her singing many, many times.
For the last few years it was rare that she'd be able to get to church, but on those Sunday mornings I'd watch her sing...she'd lift her hands and her face to heaven and SING with her whole heart.
I vividly remember her singing "How Great Thou Art"...
She didn't need the words, they were embedded in her memory.
She sang like there was no one else in the room but her.
I see her singing this morning....
she's only been in heaven for about 8 1/2 hours...
but I'm pretty sure her first words came out in song.
I wish I could have seen her entrance into heaven....
wish I could have seen the joy on her face as she recognized the One she's lived her life for.
I wish I could have seen Him embrace her and whisper "Well done!" to her.
She lived much of her life wanting approval and to know that she mattered to those around her.
I believe she understood how much she meant to us.
How much we loved her and appreciated her.
But, today, I think all that matters to her is that she didn't waste her life chasing things that are temporary.
The few temporary things she accumulated are still sitting in her empty room.
And I'm pretty sure she's not missing them.
She spent the majority of her life seeking the Lord.
And now she's found Him.
She's spent hours upon hours sharing her heart with Him.
And now she's talking to Him face to face.
She is our last grandparent to finally see Jesus...
and she is the last of a generation that we know prayed for us daily.
I'd like to think in some way she will continue to speak to Jesus daily on our behalf...
being that she'll be spending so much time with Him and all.
"For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.
"This is the true joy of life, the being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one."
George Bernard Shaw
My grandmother has been dreaming of heaven for years.Having lived a long and full life, she wanted nothing more than to see Jesus face to face, and be reunited with her two husbands who've gone before her.
Last night she breathed her last breath of earthly air,
and woke up in heaven.
It's beyond me to really grasp that.
I know it is true...and so did she. She longed to leave here and move to her permanent heavenly address. I'm trying to picture her this morning...
such a different picture than when I last saw her to say "good-bye for now".
Her form was so frail and thin....
Today she's free of pain and restlessness...
and she might even be doing a little dancing!
I'm not sure I've ever seen her dance, but I've witnessed her singing many, many times.
For the last few years it was rare that she'd be able to get to church, but on those Sunday mornings I'd watch her sing...she'd lift her hands and her face to heaven and SING with her whole heart.
I vividly remember her singing "How Great Thou Art"...
She didn't need the words, they were embedded in her memory.
She sang like there was no one else in the room but her.
I see her singing this morning....
she's only been in heaven for about 8 1/2 hours...
but I'm pretty sure her first words came out in song.
I wish I could have seen her entrance into heaven....
wish I could have seen the joy on her face as she recognized the One she's lived her life for.
I wish I could have seen Him embrace her and whisper "Well done!" to her.
She lived much of her life wanting approval and to know that she mattered to those around her.
I believe she understood how much she meant to us.
How much we loved her and appreciated her.
The few temporary things she accumulated are still sitting in her empty room.
And I'm pretty sure she's not missing them.
She spent the majority of her life seeking the Lord.
And now she's found Him.
She's spent hours upon hours sharing her heart with Him.
And now she's talking to Him face to face.
She is our last grandparent to finally see Jesus...
and she is the last of a generation that we know prayed for us daily.
I'd like to think in some way she will continue to speak to Jesus daily on our behalf...
being that she'll be spending so much time with Him and all.
She's left us with heavy hearts...
but just thinking about her life today, compared with yesterday...
Life for her has just begun...
"For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.
So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord."
IICorinthians 5:1-10
Helen Cook Astfalk
October 21, 1917 - January 9, 2011
"This is the true joy of life, the being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one."
George Bernard Shaw
6 comments:
Beautiful words about a beautiful woman. Praying for you all in this loss, but rejoicing for her godly life and her new life with Jesus.
That is such awesome, exciting news. I can picture her singing, too. Your tribute to her is beautiful.
Beautiful, Terri.
It is hard to lose our dear grandparents, but what joy to KNOW that she is with her savior - to think of her putting on her knew body and being restored to full life!
I am sorry for your loss.
I lost my last Grandparent last June...I say lost...but, like you, I actually know just where she is.
Praise the Lord for these sweet saints.
Scripture is such sweet comfort.
I'll be thinking of your family as you honor her earthly journey in memories.
Becky K.
How wonderful to know your Grandma is with her Saviour and free from any discomfort. Your words are beautiful. I will pray for you and your family, that you will know God's peace and comfort throughout this time
I love the picture of your grandmother's hands. They remind me of my grandmother's hands. They are lovely, aren't they. I miss those hands -- what a wonderful image to have.
My deepest sympathies . . .
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