First of All

I had a unique opportunity to share a song in a memorial service for a lady in our community who passed away a month before her 111th birthday.  She was still living in a small apartment, tending to her affairs and enjoying the company of neighbors, family and friends.  God had blessed this woman with a long, healthy and productive life. She was until the very end of her life, able to communicate well and have a sound mind.  What a great blessing for this woman who was a Christian and planned her memorial service herself to honor God.  She chose a song called "My Savior First of All" about going to heaven and meeting friends and family, but that she longed to see Jesus first of all.  I remembered visiting with her several times, usually around Christmas and don't think I ever spoke to her when she wasn't smiling and having a friendly demeanor.  It just seemed that she would go on living forever, enjoying life.  As much as she did enjoy life, I had to remember that all of our lives are really a life of bondage and waiting for the ultimate freedom to come about through death and a release from these earthly bodies to be in the presence of God.  I always thought of Helen as being fortunate for living so long on the earth in good health and she may have often thought the same thing.  But, looking back today from the throne room of heaven, in the midst of family and friends who went on before, she may be saying, "I wouldn't have minded coming sooner."  However, I know that every one of her approx. 40,130 days on earth God had a plan for her to be here.  She impacted those she knew at the turn of the 20th century and the turn of the 21st century.  She is greatly missed.
     My family and I have pondered the many things she must have seen.   When she was a little girl, she often spoke with her grandfather who was a veteran of the Civil War.  When she was my daughter Allie's age, the news of the day was the sinking of the Titanic.  When she was Laura's age, WWI had just ended.  When she was my age, the US had just been drawn into WWII by the attack on Pearl Harbor.   When my wife and I were married in 1991, She had already celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary with her second husband three years earlier in 1988 and was still alive when we celebrated our 20th anniversary.  She saw from horse and buggy to moon landing,  one room schoolhouse to online college,  from the founding of the Kodak company in 1901 to the digital photo slideshow projection we used to celebrate her life in pictures at church.  I can only say that hers was an amazing life.  She had seen probably more things on earth than most of us.  Her final wish for her memorial service was that it be shared through song that of all the things she has seen on earth, when she went to heaven she longed to see "My Savior First of All."
My Savior First of All -Youtube