4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ (Matthew 22:4, NIV)
Three days before Pat went to heaven we began talking about what we were going to do the following week. Number one on our list was to get our “final” plans together. We had chosen the funeral home and were going to get our funeral and burial plans completed so we would not be a burden to our children. I wound up doing that by myself on Saturday morning July 18, 2015. I cannot begin to tell you how difficult that was! I had spent the entire night sobbing and crying and hurting. Getting in the car Saturday morning to go to the funeral home and cemetery all by myself was painful and difficult. I felt so very vulnerable. I have all the paperwork in a file drawer in my office and when I look at it, I remember the day, but the details are very blurry. My dear friend and pastor, Cliff Lea, called me while I was looking for a grave site and I know he passed on his love and his condolences but that to is a blur through the tears.
And then, just as if God had allowed Pat to talk to me, I remembered her favorite author, Eugenia Price, who wrote a series of historical fiction novels about the community of St. Simons Island in Georgia. I fondly remembered taking her to St. Simons Island and going to the church she had read so much about. When we went into the cemetery I remember her lighting up as she recognized names on the gravestones and how much she loved the feel of the live oaks and history. I knew at once where our “final resting” place should be. There are huge live oaks all around the grave site and it has the feel of the cemetery in St. Simons! I only wish we could have selected the plot together on this side of heaven!
As I was working with the funeral home and Hillcrest Cemetery staff in Leesburg, Florida everyone kept asking me if I was sure I wanted to make my arrangements as well. I said that indeed I did because I did not want my children to go through this! That day started at 9:00 in the morning and lasted until 4:00 in the afternoon! But my children will not have to do that – all has been arranged in advance.
As difficult as it is to face your final destination, it is critical that you not only think about your final earthly plans, but to follow through. God gave me an opportunity to follow up last December when Pat’s brother went to heaven. Steve and Sharon had not done their final arrangements. I told Sharon I did not want her to go through that alone so I went with her, her girls and her brother to help make decisions and to be there to support her. God was faithful to use me in their time of need!
Our final destination is not earth. For those who believe in Jesus heaven is our final home!
LESSON LEARNED: Do not put off your “final plans.” You will save yourself more grief than you should endure as well as for your loved ones! And don’t do it by yourself!
Widower's Walk 