Dear One,
Please forgive me for not stopping in to say, “Goodbye.” I did not mean it as an unkind thing, but as “goodbyes” go, I was beckoned unexpectedly. By Whom…by Him….He…He.Who.Created.All.Things beckoned me this morning:
He beckoned me with the birds singing joyfully in the morning dew….
He beckoned me with the warmth of the sunrise leaping over the horizon…
He beckoned me with the wind, as it escorted the waves upon the Eastern Shore….
He beckoned me with His Spirit….
While I am arriving to the only Place I can call Home….I am departing from a foreign land that has served as home:
I am departing pain…a pain that so cripples a soul, she loses her way….
I am departing heartache…a heartache that grips you with despair….
I am departing wars that threaten peace and good will….
I am departing cancer, sickness, and things that steal your joy….
I am departing woundedness caused by selfishness and hate…
As this sojourner departs, she leaves joys that can only be found in…
Family … her husband, son, grandchildren…
Friends … few she loves so rare….
Laughter and tears — for they both can comfort a soul — one will be in Heaven — the other …gone like leaves in the wind …
Do not weep, but smile and remember me in love….for I did not depart as one embittered, but wrapped in love…
Azalea Trees and Tea Rooms 