Good morning…
At midnight, every year, I envision getting on my tippy toes and passing my birthday baton to sweet Abby Smith. She was born on March 24th, 2004, that’s twenty-two years ago today. At age seven, Abby went to heaven after journeying with cancer for five brave years. A bright light and a beacon of joy, Abby shaped so many of our lives in profound and lasting ways.
This year, as I make the heavenly hand-off, I envision Abby playing, frolicking with Audrey DeShetler, who passed on in June, ten hours before her 20th birthday. Audrey journeyed with cancer for fifteen years, inspiring all of us to live, really live, every moment we are given.
The weekend after Audrey passed, I found this little pewter lamp at an estate sale. “There’s Abby. There’s Audrey,” I thought.
The enduring symbol of these two joyful girls sits quietly in our living room. Every time I click on its light, I sense the whisper, “Remember, always remember, our souls are made to last forever.”
Life, lovely while it lasts, is soon over. Life as we know it, precious and beautiful, ends. The body is put back in the same ground it came from. The spirit returns to God, who first breathed it (Ecclesiastes 12:6-7, MSG).
…Sue…
