Losing a close friend or loved one is one of the most painful things many of us will have to go through. Those who believe in a higher power understand that we are not the giver of life, and our part in choosing the end is also limited. But that certainly doesn’t diminish the deep sadness we feel when we lose someone very special.
Sometimes, the loss comes after a family member has struggled with an illness for a long time. Brenda K., my childhood classmate, fought cancer like a champion boxer until it knocked her down for the final time at the young age of 13.
Another classmate, Rick N., died tragically. After getting into a scuffle with another boy (as many teenage boys do), Rick collapsed to the ground and died within minutes. It turns out this young man had an undetected brain aneurism.
While these situations were difficult for my young brain to process, the hardest loss was when my grandmother passed away. While it was no secret that I was her favorite, she didn’t cut me any slack when it came to discipline. In fact, I think she used a thicker switch on my behind. But Grandma Nutter was my rock, serving as a solid foundation during the storms of life. No matter how poor my decisions were, she would gently encourage me to repent.
Grandma Nutter’s bones were brittle, and one day, she fell and broke her hip. Her mind was still sharp at 82, but her body was tired, and there was no possibility of her ever walking again.
While I stood at her bedside on my 18th birthday, Grandma stated that she was ready to go home. She was tired of being in the hospital. I explained that the doctors were not ready to send her home yet. She smiled, squeezed my hand, and kissed me on the forehead as was her routine for many years. Later that night, God called her home, and I was heartbroken. I felt betrayed, and I was very angry at God for a long time.
But one day, my perspective changed. I realized that Grandma wasn’t talking about going to her physical home that night. She was ready to go to her spiritual home. I also realized that God had provided me with a birthday gift by allowing me to see her that day.
Recently, my Uncle Jack decided he was tired of fighting cancer, and chose to hang up the gloves. He’d been fighting all his life. As a little boy, he was diagnosed with polio and spent the last 70 years of his life using a walker to get around. That limitation alone would cause most people to be less than joyous. But Jack lived life to the fullest, celebrating everything possible. He took the struggles in stride and served as an incredible positive example to everyone.
Whether he was laboring to get into the driver’s seat of his truck or pull himself up into his deer stand, Uncle Jack accepted no pity. In fact, a trash can storing his crutches and leg braces was placed next to his casket at the funeral. The sign on the can read “No Longer Needed!”
to your business!