On Death & Life

Death has a way of shedding light on the living.

My husband's grandpa, Tommye D Taylor, who is best known as Papaw around here, passed away Saturday, June 28. He lived 87 years full of loving, serving, making deals in the transportation world, traveling to do business in all sorts of places, and dreaming up all kinds of ideas. We celebrated his life this past week with a visitation on Tuesday evening and the funeral and burial on Wednesday afternoon.

Even those events had his ideas all over them.

Papaw had given many family and friends personalized shovels so we could bury him the day he died. Well, he ended up agreeing to a traditional funeral not long before he passed away, but we used the shovels as he intended.

I wish I had counted how many people had the shovels with their name and relation to Tommye engraved along the red handle. There were many. Papaw loved people more than anything and his people showed up to celebrate him.

Probably not coincidentally, I'm reading "In Light of Eternity" by Randy Alcorn with my small group from church. Thinking about the heavenly reunion between Papaw and Greg's dad, Gary, best known as Granddaddy, gives me a new perspective of heaven. Granddaddy died unexpectedly more than four years ago.

While we miss both these men here, the faith they lived out assures us their deaths weren't the end. 

"Death is life's greatest certainty. Death will come whether or not you're prepared. But death is not an end; it's a transition that will bring us face to face with our Creator."

{Randy Alcorn in "In Light of Eternity"}

Earthly death and the mourning that comes with it prompts thinking of what's eternal and what really matters here.

Every day, but especially in light of death, I'm grateful for community that is lived out in simple ways: A friend grocery shopping for me at 8 pm. A friend bringing me a meal one night and watching my kids the next. Laughing while playing a board game with cousins. A friend who shows up even when her life is hard.

With this great-grandfather and grandfather not in my kids' lives anymore, I'm thankful there are other grandfatherly men around us to influence my kids and encourage my husband. Yes, they left gaps in our lives, but they left a legacy we're ready to share and live.

And there is peace in knowing Christ promises this life isn't the end for those who believe in him {John 3:16}. Now that's something for which we should live.
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I'm linking up this post with the weekly Soli Deo Gloria Gathering and Thought-Provoking Thursday.

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