Let Me Share This With You To Comfort You If You Recently Experienced The Death Of Someone Close To You...

A few days ago I found out that a dear friend of mine died and went to be with the Lord. I remember crying at the news and it made my heart sad in one respect but then it was softened a bit with knowing that they knew Jesus and I will see them in heaven one day for all eternity. This was a person that loved the Lord and read their bible. A person that when I would be around them the love of Jesus flowed between the two of us. Sometimes God places people in our lives for a season and we grow in that experience.That is exactly what happened to me. A portion of me still feels sadness at knowing I cannot pick up the phone and converse with them today. The other portion of me takes comfort in knowing there will be all eternity to converse with them in heaven.
Many, many years ago a dear friend of mine sent this to me and I would like to share it with you today. It brought a bit of comfort to me when I read it back then and as I share it with you now.

"A PARABLE OF IMMORTALITY" by Henry Van Dyke

"I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength, and I stand and watch until at last she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come down to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says, 'There she goes!'
"Gone where? Gone from my sight...that is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and just as able to bear her load of living freight to the place of destination. Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says, 'There she goes!' there are other eyes watching her coming and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, 'Here she comes!.'"

Now some of you reading this may say to yourself, "How is this biblical?" It does not come from the bible. The point is that we that are left here on earth to grieve for family, friends, etc. and you can take comfort in this. We say goodbye for now but there are others in heaven with great accolades/shouts greeting our loved one and welcoming them. I take great comfort in knowing this and it softens the sadness in my heart. May it soften your grief also.