Life After Death

Carly’s grandmother passed away last night in her sleep. I think we would all like to believe that our transition to the next life will be as peaceful. She’s now spending time with “her Lord and her Savior” that she spoke so much about during our conversations. I only knew her for a few years, but as Julie blogged earlier, we’ll be sharing stories about Granny for the rest of our days.

I’ve spent the day taking it all in, somewhat perplexed by this period in our lives. Never before have I been in a position to appreciate life’s ultimate dichotomy as much as I do this evening. Each new event threatening to divert my thoughts permanently toward life or death, only to be followed by an opposing event, offsetting the first and ensuring a tolerable balance as I move on. I use the word “balance” with hesitation. During a particularly emotional time, it’s hard to believe you’ll ever experience the other side again. But sooner or later you do, because one of the beauties of this world is that you need both to appreciate either.

As we welcome new family into the world this year, we remember the family members we’ve recently lost, as well as those in years passed. Just as our parents, aunts, and uncles were links to family we never knew, we will be the link to family our children will never know. I was always frustrated when I asked one of my links a question that they couldn’t answer, thinking to myself, “surely you should know that.” I now understand that it’s not the memorization of facts about a person that keep them alive. It’s the love for and memory of the person that guarantees survival. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to tell Mary Reese all the names of my grandmother’s 15 brothers and sisters, or convey what it was like for her to grow up on a farm in south Georgia during the 30′s and 40′s. But I have no doubt Mary Reese will feel Mema’s love in each and every story I tell, because Mema will live forever in my heart.

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