Jun 11, 2014
Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My
Father’s house are many rooms; if it
were not so, I would have told you. I
am going there to prepare a place for you. John 14:1-2
June 10th, 2014, would have been my mother’s 94th birthday. So to celebrate her life, I carved out time to go home yesterday and spend the day with my father. I have celebrated her birthday with him every year since she moved to Heaven.
The first few times that I went home after my mother had left, things were not the same. Everything in the house reminded me of her, yet she was not there. Going home almost made my grief more acute. My father must have sensed how I felt, so after a few months, every time I went home, I would find on the kitchen counter a little silver tray with my favorite coffee beans ready for grinding, and my mother’s favorite china mug that to this day I love to drink from. In the refrigerator I would discover my favorite yogurt for breakfast. And when I slipped up to the bedroom I had grown up in as a girl, I would find fresh flowers beside my bed with a handwritten note, Anne, Welcome Home. I love you. Daddy. While I knew one of his sweet caregivers, Amy Morgan, had encouraged him in this and then followed through on his instructions, I still knew I had been expected by my father.
Yesterday was no different. When I walked into the kitchen, although I was only able to spend a few hours with Daddy, my favorite coffee and china mug were laid out on the same silver tray, waiting for me. Since it was a hot day, there was also a beautiful crystal glass with ice, and a pitcher of cold tea ready to pour. On the table was my favorite kind of salad. Once again, I knew I was welcome. I had come home.
Considering how my father prepares for me when he knows I’m coming home, I love to think of the preparations the heavenly Father and His Son, our Lord Jesus, are making for my homecoming one day. They know the colors I love, the scenery I enjoy, the things that make me happy, all the personal details that will let me know when I walk into Our Father’s House, I am expected and welcome, because I’m the Father’s child. And in the same way, He is preparing a glorious homecoming for you…
Happy Father’s Day!
