The Beginning of the "Beginning"

Have You Got a Minute —

This Father’s Day weekend has triggered me, not in a bad way, but in a bittersweet way.  It was this time last year that Frank and I began the journey that would eventually take him home to be with Jesus. 

Our last trip together was to the CHECC conference in Denver where I had the privilege of speaking.  We hadn’t been there 24 hours when Frank began to struggle with his breathing.  As soon as I finished my speaking commitments, we headed home.  That was on a Friday.  Saturday, we found ourselves in the ER.  Frank was admitted and spent four days there. 

After he was dismissed, he never did bounce back.  We used to call him the “Comeback King”, but not this time.  Instead, I watched as he continued to decline.  I remember one day he said to me, “I know this is my house, but it doesn’t feel like home.”  I knew then that his going to be with Jesus would be soon.

It’s an amazing thing to watch a saint prepare to go Home.  There are moments of joy and anticipation, followed by moments of frustration and longing for more time.  Frank didn’t talk about it much, but I knew he was experiencing a full range of emotions.  I always wondered what he was thinking.  Just yesterday, I found out.  In preparing to move, I found a song he’d written sometime during those days.  His handwriting was shaky, but his thoughts were clear.  I’d like to share that song with you:

Lord Jesus, I will praise You

Jesus, thank you for my life.

You have given me a sweet and loving wife.

Lord, I hear you call my name,

And I will come to You.

The years have passed so quickly and how

You blessed me so,

With family, friends and loved ones.

Your love was there to bind us,

Wherever we would go.

O, Lord, I’m praying

To make my way to You.

Where I will be with You,

No matter what I do.

As I read these words, I can’t help but think of Psalm 116:15, “The LORD cares deeply when His loved ones die.”  The Lord cared deeply for Frank, and He cares deeply for you, too.  Thank you for “giving me a minute.”