Wednesday, August 20, 2008

There is a Season

For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:

  • a time to be born, and a time to die;
  • a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
  • a time to kill, and a time to heal;
  • a time to break down, and a time to build up;
  • a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
  • a time to mourn, and a time to dance...from Ecclesiastes
These words comfort my family at this time of the death of my father. He spent his life farming, and upon retiring he kept track of the seasons, the crops, and the weather. His life turned on nature's seasons and so this is the season of death. Mourning will pass; laughter and dancing will return; the timeless cycle repeats.

After ninety-one, nearly ninety-two, years, his greatest wish was to die at home. To this end, Hospice assisted us; he took his final breath reclining in a living room chair. We are blessed by the many expressions of comfort from family and friends.