October 2, 2009

My Journey to God

Two Funerals in Two Weeks

Here I am again, just fourteen days
And this is the second funeral I am attending.

Sitting in the passenger seat,
Another funeral comes to mind.
Not the devastating one.
Not the one that changed my whole life.
But another one.

My mother-in-law’s funeral came into my mind.
My niece, standing at the end of the coffin as I approached,
Said, “Grandma is in heaven.”
Words of love whispered to me as I leaned down to hear.

I said, “Yes, and wasn’t she surprised when Jesus came for her?”
My niece, eyes wide, asked, “What do you mean?”

I said, “There she was going about her everyday life,
Filling the car with gas, getting her root beer,
Sitting in the car enjoying the day and the drink.

“Then she felt the touch on her shoulder,
A hand reaching for hers,
Saw the beautiful face smiling at her,
Heard the velvet voice saying, ‘Come with me. I love you.’
How surprised and happy she must have been
Reaching out to take His hand.”

The memory vanishes as the car comes to a stop at church.
I pray that I may one day see the smiling face,
Reach for the hand,
Hear the velvet voice say to me,
“Come with me. I love you.”

By Trudy Bledsoe

(Trudy Bledsoe is a member of St. Christopher Parish in Indianapolis.) †

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