Today was a tremendously happy day. It was so because this was the day that I was able to celebrate the Funeral Mass for my aunt.
“Come on, Mike,” you might be saying to yourself, “surely you weren’t happy about it?” Oh, yeah? Guess again. I was ecstatic!
For a couple of years she was waiting to die. I would not want her back for even another minute with the pain that she was under because the cancer had moved into her bones. It was the same way I felt with my mother. I would not have wanted her back for one extra minute, either, because the ALS that killed her had pretty much destroyed her diaphragm and she had to fight for each breath she took.
There comes a time when death is much more desirable than life. There comes a time when we need to shuck our earthly bodies and go home to the Lord. This was Auntie Connie’s time and, because of it, I was happy to celebrate her funeral.
I was able to share some wonderful stories about her and to leave those who attended her Funeral Mass — I pray — with joy and hope. For believers, heaven is our goal and when we get the opportunity to get there, there is no sorrow.
Rest in deserved peace, Auntie Connie. Thanks for the memories. I hope to see you again one day!
And to all of you who have been so supportive of her these past couple of years, thank you from the bottom of my heart. To those of you, as well, who have been there for me throughout this whole ordeal, words cannot express my thanks.
A special shout-out to the good, kind, gentle people of Hospice of the Calumet Area. Your care for her in home as well as at the residential facility was beyond compare. God bless you for all that you do!
Let us pray for all those still waiting to die, that they may hear the call of the Lord sooner rather than later.
