"The TEN-YEAR Good-bye"...

This is a picture of my mom holding my first grandson 4 years ago. She was almost 93-years-old in this photo and already into her 6th year of diagnosed Alzheimer's Disease. First of all, let me say that Alzheimer's is an ugly, horrendous, disgusting ailment that robs one of his/her dignity not to mention brain cells. (We spent ten years preparing ourselves for Mom's end. Heartrending.) Every living, breathing brain cell eventually gives in to this debilitating disease, and if something doesn't take its victim before the disease does, it will be the Alzheimer's that finally steals away that last breath--because the brain will finally run out of power to tell the vital organs what to do. Sorry for the disarming start to this blog.
The good news is this: WE SERVE A RISEN SAVIOR, and MY MOM KNEW HIM WELL! She is with Him now, in fact, as of January 28 and in two days (the 12th), she'll spend her 97th birthday with Jesus, my dad, her parents, two sisters, and a host of other loved ones gone before. What a reunion!
As Mother's Day came and went this year, I thought a great deal about my beloved mother and, ironically, on her birthday my sis-in-law and I are going to finish cleaning her house and preparing it for a realtor's walk-through. Surprisingly, I am not troubled by this. I'm dreading it, yes, only because I know the job will be overwhelming, but I'm not sad about walking into her house because I know she's enjoying a brand new home, one beyond our wildest, most vivid imaginations.
We live in temporary bodies, my sweet friends, and every time I look in the mirror to find another spot or wrinkle on my face I'm reminded all the more of that fact. This skin that holds our frail shells together will one day succumb to death (don't mean to be morbid here), and we will ALL go to one of two places.

Let me just say this: nothing on earth holds more value than making sure we've secured our eternal vacation in Heaven.

Have you made your reservations?