I went for a quiet walk the other day, to relax and sort my thoughts like the stacks of messages and notes on my desk. While gazing at the clear sky and breathing in the cool air, it dawned on me that it’s been almost two years since my dad passed away. Honestly, it seems like yesterday.

When my wife Cheryl and I were married, our parents were in their early 40s and everyone seemed so young and filled with dreams and expectations. I guess this is why we were in shock when her dad passed away four years later from cancer at the age of 48. She remembers as a Tom-boy, crawling under cars and watching him work on them. She did not have a clue what he was doing but just enjoyed spending quality time alone with him. Working on an old car was probably aggravating to him, but to her it was exciting as she was like a nurse trying to figure out what type of wrench to hand him next or more than likely what size hammer he needed.

Soon after we married, we rented a little house in town and on Saturday mornings after I left for work, her dad would stop by with donuts and they would have some coffee and talk. Through the years I’ve listened to her mention about how much she misses him and what a large part of her security and safety disappeared. Now I understand.

It seems so strange when I think that my dad is no longer here. I remember the first few months, sometimes in the evenings I would pick up the phone to call him. Then I would remember he’s not only not at home but he’s never coming back. It’s only natural after our loved ones are gone, to feel alone and miss hearing their voice and listening to their thoughts and opinions about everything. You will begin to notice that you have some of your parent’s traits and quirks but that’s OK because it makes you feel closer to them and appreciate them even more.

You will always be filled with their memories and they will continue to comfort you as time marches on. Even the simple things like remembering your dad mowing the yard and watching his favorite team or your mom putting the food on the table and giving you a big hug becomes like one of the greatest movies you will ever see.

There’s a poem by Diana Der-Hovanessian called, “Shifting the sun” and she expresses so beautifully about losing a parent. Here is one of the lines, “When your father dies, you lose your umbrella against bad weather, he takes your childhood with him and your sun shifts forever.” I cannot communicate as eloquently as she, but just as we will follow in the natural cycle of life and death, we are also filled with hope and joy to know this life is not the end of our journey.

For those who are born-again in Christ, our salvation includes the exciting and encouraging promise that one day we will be reunited with our parents forever.

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