"When we all see Jesus - We'll sing and shout the victory"
It was midday on Saturday, December 30, 2017 when I got the phone call that he was gone. Another important father figure in my life had closed his eyes in sleep and I would be starting the New Year off by saying "Goodbye" to another dear soul. He had been sick for a while, so there was a sense of "relief" that he was no longer suffering, but ... there was a selfish part of me that wished he'd hung around just a little bit longer so I could have told him "one mo time again" how much I loved him and what he meant to me.
I met Bro. Raphael Barnard over a decade ago, when for some foolish reason, I began dating his son. (Hahaha, inside joke). While my relationship with Ron didn't last, by the time we parted, my ties to the family were cemented. "Bro. B" (as he was affectionately called) and his wife, "Sis. B" became important Christian figures in my life. When I had my hysterectomy in June 2004, they came over several times, carrying gifts of food and love to nurture me as I healed. When I experienced the deaths of my grandparents, they stepped into those roles and prayed with and for me through the years. Much to Ron's chagrin, whenever Sis. B made her famous curried goat or ginger beer, I was included in the pot and bottle. And when they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with the wedding they never had, I not only served as a hostess, but at Sis. B's insistence, gave a speech about what it meant to be married for 50 years. [Uh...Hello! I'm single, never been married, over here!] Bro. B was a quiet man, who didn't tolerate fools or foolishness, but he loved me and called me his "girlfriend", even when his wife was right there in the room!
The last time I saw Bro. B was on his last visit to church, in late November / early December 2017. I remember saying to him, "don't go anywhere, I need to take a picture with you." [He was notorious for avoiding the cameras] Of course, he smiled at me, shook his head and when I came back from wherever I had run off to, he was gone. You never know when the last time you see someone is the last time you will see that person. That is why you MUST tell people that you love them. You MUST tell people that they are important to you. You MUST.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 tells of the hope of the resurrection. It tells us, comforts us and reassures us that death is NOT the end. There will be a time (soon and very soon is my hope) when the clouds above us will split open and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords will come back to gather His children. Those who went to sleep in the Lord will be awakened and those of us who remain alive, will be caught up in the air for the biggest party and reunion ever known to man. We will be reunited with mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, grandparents and friends whom we have loved and missed and mourned. It's gonna be a great day when that happens.
Bro. B is resting until the Creator God that he loved awakens him. When next his eyes open, he will be reunited with his son Fred and his wife Jane, who preceded him in death. He will see his son, Ron, who faithfully cared for him over the last several years. He will see his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and any children they may have. And if I live my life as I should, he'll see me in the great crowd of people excited to see him as well.
Until that day ... be blessed.
©2018 Kristina E. Smith
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