Blowin’ in the wind…

January 11, 2016 | My Jottings

Sara and I drove to the cemetery recently but right before we left she decided she wanted to make a heart-shaped wreath to drape over Michael’s headstone. The personalized wreath she made for Christmas is still there on its stand, looking beautiful in the snow, but this one is simpler.

She also decided she wanted long red ribbons attached to the wreath, so they would blow in the wind and look pretty and unique from a distance. Here’s a photo of Sara hanging the wreath. It’s on the other side of the headstone and you can only see the ribbons to the right.

As we drove away, the wind was briskly blowing and when we got to the bottom of the hill and looked back up toward Michael’s grave, you could see the ribbons billowing and streaming as if to say, “Look! Here he is!”

We laughed about how incongruous the ribbons are for Michael, a humble man who didn’t want to call attention to himself and was much too manly for a beribboned grave.

And we also know that actually, he isn’t there. Only what’s left of his earthly tent remains, and that isn’t needed anymore. He has a new body, a new smile, a new voice, new legs to run and leap, new arms to raise in praise to Jesus, and joy of joys, his new body will never die again. I firmly believe he will still be recognizable as our Michael, but he’ll be the most beautiful and vigorous he’s ever been, and I look forward to the day when I can lay eyes on him again.

“But [we are different, because] our citizenship is in heaven. And from there we eagerly await [the coming of] the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who, by exerting that power which enables Him even to subject everything to Himself, will [not only] transform [but completely refashion] our earthly bodies so that they will be like His glorious resurrected body.”   Philippians 3:20-21, Amplified Version

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