There. How Did We Miss Him?
Tuesday Thought 8.13.24
There
Grace died at 11 am on a sunny December day,
Lying in the hospital bed,
Daughters and husband gathered round.
God had summoned me,
To touch my friend as she touched her family.
I saw the rupture of death but could hardly grasp the mystery
Grace’s last breath we only realized in momentary retrospect—
By the time we realized she had not inhaled for more than a minute,
She was a minute gone.
Jesus had come and taken her away and we didn’t notice.
How could we miss such a monumental event?
There was no scent, no “presence,” no vision, no singing, no touch—
But He was there, had been there, is still there.
He didn’t come at 11 pm when no one was there.
He didn’t come when a daughter was out to lunch.
He came while I was there, while they were there,
While all heaven was there,
Waiting.
© 2003 Karen Rabbitt