LETTER: DEATH IS NO LONGER A STRANGER

To the editor:

Death was once such a stranger. I was introduce to this stranger at my grandfather's funeral. I wept as I observed the tears of sorrow being shed by those who were more aware of the loss of my grandfather than I was.

Then came the stranger's visitation to five classmates killed in a car crash, all in their teens. This gave a new meaning to death expectation. Age was no longer a factor.

Thoughts of fate and circumstance and the life hereafter dominated the space in my mind reserved for searching for truth and wisdom. As years passed by like pages swiftly turning, friends and relatives who cam to terms with this stranger increased exceedingly. The sudden appearance of this stranger to those whom I loved created regrets in my heart for words unspoken and deeds undone.

Thus, I found myself in prayer before the Lord. The though had never occurred to me that I would pray for those who had crossed over to the other side. Nevertheless, I prayed that the Lord would, in his own way, express my love and good intentions which were cut short by this stranger.

True, I could no longer hold them in my arms, but I could hold them in my heart and in my prayers. Even then I knew that little by little I had to let them go. One cannot hold onto the past and make room for the future.

Then the stranger came to my father's door. My father did battle with him and chased him away more than once. The stranger persisted, however, and after many battles his persistence won. Fight and resist as one may, death is as certain as our need to know there is life after death.

Now my mother has passed away. But I have comfort, for now death is no longer a stranger. In fact, I know now death can be a friend. When these bodies which harbor our souls become like a worn out garment, one might call out to this friend who was once a foe and say, "I'm ready for the journey. I want to be with my friends and loved ones on the other side. I know where I am going, and death has lost its sting."

My mother viewed death in this manner. Her last gift to me was showing me there was nothing to fear, that there is a time to give up the battle and find that victory is the reward and gift which the Lord Jesus has given to those who believe in him. Death is not a stranger anymore.

RON FARROW

Cape Girardeau