Remembered Blessings: 11/22/09

"Merry Christmas from Heaven"

By John Wm. Mooney, Jr.

I still hear the songs

I still see the the lights

I still feel your love

on cold wintery nights.

I still share your hopes

and all of your cares

I'll even remind you

to please say your prayers.

I just want to tell you

you still make me proud

You stand head and shoulders

above all the crowd.

Keep trying each moment

to stay in His grace

I came here before your

to help set your place.

You don't have to be

perfect all of the time

He forgives you the slip

If you continue to climb.

To my family and friends

pleace be thankful today

I'm still close beside you

In a new special way.

I love you all dearly

now don't shed a tear

Cause I'm spending my

Chrsitmas with Jesus this year.

The day before Thankgiving 2008.
So this is how I remember it...and never want to forget it. Hopice had been called in after Dad's decision to go off dialysis after 10 years. I feel being able to make this choice was a good thing. It enabled family and friends to come in and tell Dad they loved him. He was the oldest of 10...so all his brothers and sisters came in. There was a constant flow of people into the house during this time.
It had been 7 days and Dad was so ready to go. He wondered why the Lord had not taken him yet.
On that last morning mom and I lay talking in bed for a little while after we woke up. It was just after 7 and we decided to get up and check on everyone. As we walked into the bedroom Dad was sitting on the edge of the bed with Marvin and Steve watching over him. He ask for a sugar cookie and ate it. His shoulders were dropping down like a heavy weight. When asked if he were ready to lay down he nodded his head.
He had been hot and I ran to get a chill pillow to lay under his back. As we laid him down Mom and I were on one side, Steve and Marvin were on the other side. It took all of us to lay him down.
I think he only took 2 or 3 breathes after that. It was actually a perfect moment. With wife, son, daughter, and first grandchild being present with him as he left this home. He went so peacefully with us at his side. Mom felt he was waiting for us to get up from bed so he could go.
I remember Mom saying he's not breathing, and I knew in her heart she wanted to help him. I remember Marvin letting out one sob, I remember Steve being at Grandpa's feet, and I remember praying aloud, "Thank You Jesus for coming to get him...this is what we were praying for." And then I started singing "What a day that will be when Jesus I see, when I look upon His face the one who saved me by his grace....when he takes me by the hand and leads me to the promised land, what a day, glorious day that will be" Later, as we made funeral arrangements I learned that was the song Dad requested for his funeral. I didn't know that when it came from my heart in song....I am not a natural singer and really do not remember words to songs...this came from above.
As the four of us sat by Dad's bedside Dohe, Dad's little dog, jumped up on the bed and he looked up at the ceiling and he smiled (Dad taught him how to do that) We all saw that and it was amazing. What did Dohe see above us?
My first call was to Stan and then to others and each time I would tell them that my dad saw the face of Jesus at 7:30 this morning.
And that song "What a day that will be..." came from me all day. I was rejoicing that my dad was no longer in pain. He was ready...He was sure....He knew where he was going.....As he told each one of us that he would be holding the gate open for us when we got to heaven.
In the moment Dad stopped breathing in this body I felt he was recieved above, met at the gate by those he loved.
When Cindy got there she ask me how I could be so happy. It was because I had never had more faith than I had at that moment in my life. I believed that my dad was in heaven, he was made whole, he was not tied to an old tired sick body anymore.
From that moment I believed....
because My Father had told me so.