Life Doesn't Stop

  If challenging situations do anything for me, they give me writing material. Per my last post, my Grandpa passed away recently, and today we buried him. The past 10 hours or so have been exhausting, tear-soaked, and painful. The funeral and burial were beautiful and fitting. If you have ever experienced a military funeral, you'll know what I mean when I say it was very powerful and moving. I am honored to be descended from a man who served our country for decades. Anyway, this post isn't really about today so much as what today's celebration (yes, I will call it that) points to.

  Life doesn't stop. We always say how quickly life moves, whether it's in reference to an anniversary, a graduation, or a birthday. Our time on Earth is full of milestones and moments, things to celebrate and times to reflect on. The Catholic Faith is all about celebrating; if we can party, we will party. As difficult and painful as funerals are, I always find peace in them because a funeral is really a celebration of the person's life on Earth and their new life in Heaven with the Lord! Grandpa's funeral was a way to thank God that we were given the gift of having him with us for the time that we did, and to rejoice that he is no longer suffering and is finally home. His journey is over. His plane has landed.

  As Christians, death isn't the end. It's only a pit stop. When Jordan and I flew out to Memphis last week, we had a connection in Dallas. Initially, it was a 2 hour layover which would give us time to grab supper before we got to Memphis. What we actually got was a 15 minute blur in which we went through roughly 2 terminals and my whole years' worth of cardio work out. Our first flying experience together was not what we thought it was, but ultimately we got to our destination. God's initial plan for us, prior to the fall of Adam and Eve, was a nonstop flight to Him. What we have now is a connection that we have to get through before being fully with our Lord. That "layover" is death. But once we get through the connection, there is only a straight shot to God.

  Now that Grandpa has gone and made his connecting flight to Jesus, the rest of us are still stuck here. We're sad and hurting, which is completely normal. Even though it feels like life is standing still right now, it isn't. Next week, I'll go back to work. In a few months, spring will come. Life doesn't stop. 

  And that's okay. 

  Someday, our grief will change. Our aching hearts won't feel the way they do tonight as they will in a few years, or a few decades. And that's okay, too. God doesn't want us to stay put. Our whole life is about chasing Him with all we are. It will be hard at times, and easy at others. Right now is just a hard time.

  I'm not going to tell you that your life is cupcakes and roses compared to mine, nor will I say that your experiences make the Holocaust look like a walk in the park. What I will tell you that we are all on the same flight to the same destination: eternity. We are all assigned the task to get each other there, to all be reunited in the next part of life with our God. Life as we know it, biological life, is fleeting. It doesn't last long. But our soul, our life in spirit, is immortal. It is eternal.

  Maybe I'm writing this to reassure myself of what I know to be true. Maybe it's a coping mechanism or an emotional release. I know I would be way more of a mess if I didn't have God. And if what we believe as Christians ends up being a total farce, we aren't out anything. But if it is true, and I believe with all I am that it is true, we have much to look forward to after our layover. The flight we're on now is only the beginning.