Saturday night I got the call late, 10:30pm. 'He's taken a turn for the worse.' I respond, 'I'll pray and come tomorrow after church.' Then out of my mouth, 'I can come tonight. Would you like me to come tonight?' "Yes, if you are willing." I am, willing to drive 40 miles at 11pm, getting to the hospital parking lot wondering about safety in the biggest city in Iowa. Entering the ER, finding the family, they fall into my arms. I don't know them well, except for the wife/mom whose husband/father is dying...in really painful ways after rallying through chemo and radiation. Each time I try to leave that night he gets worse. At 2:30 am I help the family make the decision to end all measures. By 3:30, he's gone. Dead, we watched and waited, the family holding him on one side, me on the other. It was a mercy, it was time, the tableau of death, dear family members who loved him and he them.
The line? Friday night, this family's very first great-granddaughter was born. The great-grandpa died knowing his great-granddaughter lived. I ponder the line--life & death. They seem to be next door neighbors. Letting go of life as we hold new life, admitting for a moment we are not in control. Thanks be to the One I name God.
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