May is usually my
favorite month of the year. A coating of yellow pollen is no longer on the deck
or my car. My eyes itch and burn less as spring gives way to summer. Mother’s
Day can be a day of relaxation and reflection.
I remember May 12 as the anniversary of my liver
transplant and am so grateful to be in good health most of the time. This year
we were looking forward to a tour to Kentucky to see the Ark Encounter and
Creation Museum.
In early May,
five days before our tour, we received word that Charles’ sister had died. Expecting a quick funeral, we cancelled our
trip. Then we learned that my sister, Audrey, had been placed on Hospice and
Palliative Care. We needed to make plans to go see her. Since the burial of Charles’ sister involved
the national military cemetery, the funeral was postponed to the end of May.
We will drive to
Pensacola, stay at the Beach, and go to visit with Audrey. It will be hard to
see how much she has declined in the past year. Then we will head for Louisiana for Marion’s
funeral and burial before we head home.
All the computer time
involved in cancelling and changing reservations was quite involved. Somehow,
we got it all done. This has turned out to be a messy May, but I am trying not
to dwell on the negative. My daily prayer has one of gratitude for Audrey’s strong
Christian faith. I know that she will be in the presence of Jesus for all eternity.
May that be true of each
of us as our time on earth eventually comes to an end.
“For God so
loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16
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| Representation of Audrey and me growing up in Northern New York |
