We all suffer losses in life. Usually, our first experience with death, aside from a goldfish or the family dog, is a grandparent. They’re older. It’s the natural progression of things. I lost my first relative that ripped my heart out when my maternal grandfather died of his fifth or sixth heart attack. It was 28 years before I lost the next one when my maternal grandmother died of a stroke. Four years later I lost my mom, a year later my sweet Uncle Bob. Nine years later, I buried my husband. These were the heartbreakers.

Today, we say goodbye to our good friend, Bill. It wasn’t like we hung out socially. I had never been to their home. They had never been to mine. But, he was a caring physician who took care of me many times. I was on his e-mail list for the newsletters he and his wife sent out during their missions overseas. And, I was on his personal prayer list. I read in his obituary that he woke up at 4:00 every morning and got up alone to personally pray for everyone on his prayer list. When he died, that list was twelve pages long. He prayed for every single one, every single day. Even when he was under fire in war torn regions of the world.

I came up to the mountains yesterday so I can attend my friend’s funeral. He was loved by everyone he met. His friends, his family, his colleagues, and complete strangers who came through the doors of his ER. Bill was a devout Christian. He loved Jesus with every ounce of his being. I sat with a friend last night reminiscing. Who knows why God took him home at the age of 59? He was training to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro at the end of the year before starting a new mission assignment in January. He was literally at the top of his game…two grown sons happily married. My friend surmised. We are sent here to learn to love. To love everyone, unconditionally.

Maybe…maybe on that beautiful sunny afternoon, a mile up this magnificent canyon, God looked down and said, “You’re perfect. It’s time.”
As I drove through the canyon yesterday, I stopped at the trail head and talked to Bill for awhile. I thanked him for taking such good care of me and my family on so many occasions. I thanked him for all the prayers he prayed on my behalf. I thanked him for being such a good husband and father. And, I thanked him for being such a good and faithful servant. He was an excellent teacher, mentor, and roll model to countless people all over the world. He will be greatly missed but we will meet again.

❤️

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:14 NIV