Heaven rejoices, I reel

This is the post I knew I would write someday, but am totally unprepared to actually write it.

Yesterday I got the phone call I’d been expecting for a long time, but was totally shocked to receive it.

Yesterday morning, my grandpa went to be with Jesus. He was 92 years old.

All day yesterday and today, through the shock and the pain and the tears and the phone calls home, I bless the Lord. All my family’s prayers were answered concerning Grandpa’s passing from this life into the next.

• Grandpa went to Jesus peacefully; he was not in pain.
• Grandma was not alone; my aunt was with her.
• He had lived to see his 60th wedding anniversary with my grandma

There are many other reasons for me to praise the Lord regarding Grandpa’s life, and I’m amazed at the Lord’s faithfulness. God is so good, even in this agony of loss.
But it’s not true loss. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I will see Grandpa again, and what makes that knowledge even sweeter is that Grandpa doesn’t have Alzheimer’s any more! Even through my tears, I smile, because Alzheimer’s is no match for Heaven. My God wins!

Yes, there is pain, even though we’ve been expecting this for a long time. But there is also Jesus. I cannot describe the peace that has been with me every moment, even when I sob and clench my fists and wonder. His peace really does surpass understanding, and I am so grateful.

My family would appreciate your prayers, especially for my dad, who lost his father, something I shudder to imagine, and for my grandma. But God. God is good, all the time.

Grandpa with his perpetual smile

Heaven rejoices, and I rejoice too