I lost a friend today. Death took her and
left a hole in life. Aunt Geeg or Geegee got her name from
the little ones who couldn’t quite pronounce her given name.
She remained Aunt Geeg as those children grew into their
50’s and 60’s. Although she was never married and never had
children of her own, she was mother to more nieces and
nephews, great nieces and great nephews than I can count.
At 93, Aunt Geeg had very poor eyesight and could only hear if you got very close and raised your voice but she never quit trying to see and hear. She never tired of knowing what was going on and how people were doing. She always enjoyed her visitors and she could still entertain her guests.
Even at the assisted living facility in which she lived, she was actively engaged in the lives of the nurses and aids. She would tell me about one or the other, listing their good qualities. Seemingly, none of them had a bad one.
If what I’ve read about Heaven is correct- and I know it is - Geeg is the focus a huge reception line, being greeted by countless relatives and old friends and by the many others that may have come into contact with her, if for only a short time in their life here on earth. I doubt that anyone ever met Geeg without being changed by the encounter and who didn’t come away a happier and more peaceful person. Many times in our youth, we may have been too busy and involved in our own concerns to notice, but Geeg had a way of making us feel important and accepting our thoughts and feelings just as they were - not trying to change our mind or even figure out why we were that way. She just took us as we came to her and she enjoyed our company.
The frail old body that was bent over with arthritis finally gave in to pneumonia as many aged bodies do. I am sad that she won’t be a physical part of my life anymore but I am thrilled to know for sure that she now has perfect vision and hearing and that she is walking with her back straight and with a spring in her step. I believe that she is now the person that has always been in her heart – young, energetic, interested and expectant. You see, in eternity, there is no death or sorrow or pain. We are as God intended.
I look forward to the day when I will meet Aunt Geeg again. She will be happy to see me and will have lots to tell me about her new home. Maybe she will tell me about the crystal clear river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God. It flows right down the middle of the great street of the city. Maybe Geeg has eaten from the tree of life that stands on each side of the river, bearing fruit every month. Aunt Geeg is experiencing now the glory that I can’t even begin to imagine. Because as the Bible says,
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.”
At 93, Aunt Geeg had very poor eyesight and could only hear if you got very close and raised your voice but she never quit trying to see and hear. She never tired of knowing what was going on and how people were doing. She always enjoyed her visitors and she could still entertain her guests.
Even at the assisted living facility in which she lived, she was actively engaged in the lives of the nurses and aids. She would tell me about one or the other, listing their good qualities. Seemingly, none of them had a bad one.
If what I’ve read about Heaven is correct- and I know it is - Geeg is the focus a huge reception line, being greeted by countless relatives and old friends and by the many others that may have come into contact with her, if for only a short time in their life here on earth. I doubt that anyone ever met Geeg without being changed by the encounter and who didn’t come away a happier and more peaceful person. Many times in our youth, we may have been too busy and involved in our own concerns to notice, but Geeg had a way of making us feel important and accepting our thoughts and feelings just as they were - not trying to change our mind or even figure out why we were that way. She just took us as we came to her and she enjoyed our company.
The frail old body that was bent over with arthritis finally gave in to pneumonia as many aged bodies do. I am sad that she won’t be a physical part of my life anymore but I am thrilled to know for sure that she now has perfect vision and hearing and that she is walking with her back straight and with a spring in her step. I believe that she is now the person that has always been in her heart – young, energetic, interested and expectant. You see, in eternity, there is no death or sorrow or pain. We are as God intended.
I look forward to the day when I will meet Aunt Geeg again. She will be happy to see me and will have lots to tell me about her new home. Maybe she will tell me about the crystal clear river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God. It flows right down the middle of the great street of the city. Maybe Geeg has eaten from the tree of life that stands on each side of the river, bearing fruit every month. Aunt Geeg is experiencing now the glory that I can’t even begin to imagine. Because as the Bible says,
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.”