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The call in the middle of the night,

For which one is never prepared,

Unwelcome guests on the doorstep,

With heart-wrenching news to share.

 

We try to process the horror,

Sit in stunned silence, confused,

Cannot accept the certitude, the finality,

The mind rejects the mind-numbing truth.

 

Devastating, life-changing utterances,

Fall upon unprepared ears,

Words conveying brutal realities,

Our worst and suddenly confirmed fears.

 

Gone with no warning, in a moment,

Gone with no chance for goodbyes,

Gone while we all slept at peace,

Gone in the blink of an eye.

 

Agony and grief beyond compare,

Tears of sorrow now freely flow,

Devastation descends on our hearts,

Realization dawns ever so slow.

 

Try to make sense of the senseless,

But the nagging questions remain,

Did she struggle and did she suffer?

Was she aware and was she in pain?

 

Did she feel the love of her Savior,

In those last precious moments on earth,

Was she aware of His arms wrapped around her,

In death as they had been from birth?

 

Was she comforted by His sweet song,

When welcomed into the glorious light?

Did she feel the depths of His compassion,

While ushered out of this darkest of nights?

 

Did she know of His unknowable mercy,

Of His free and unmerited grace,

Comprehend His unfathomable love,

When she at last gazed upon His face?

 

And has she now found peace, so elusive?

We pray she knew how much we loved her,

We mourn, and we ache, and we weep,

Find comfort in the kindness of others.

 

This life is so fleeting, so brief,

A precious and glorious gift,

We are here and gone in an instant,

The days flowing onward and swift.

 

This world is not our final destination,

Not our hope, or our rest, or our home,

We were meant for another, our Maker,

And to Him we lovingly belong.

So, breathe in the beauty around you,

And cherish the ones you love,

Embrace them while they are still near you,

Hold tight to the memories when they are gone.