A few days have now passed since the passing of Emily's grandfather. She now stands in the darkness of night staring heavenward hoping to see a glimpse of him, though all she sees is the stars and moon brightening the night sky. With a tear stricken face, she begins to smile, but not because she has seen a glimpse of her late grandfather, but from a message sent from up above. The message flowed through her, announcing louder then words what she had been told all her life. There's always light, even in the darkest places of life.
She remembered her Christian upbringing. She'd heard the same message many times; from parents, friends, and her pastor. It had always seemed hard to believe. How could there be light when so much darkness surrounded her? .Despite the heart felt message, Emily continued to stare heavenward, still waiting for that glimpse of her grandfather, whom she wished to see one last time.
Emily's eyes filled with tears again as a torrent of regret overwhelmed her, feeling like a plague upon her heart. If only she could take back the words she had said, the thoughts she had prayed. But she knew it was too late for wishes. Even though it was impossible, Emily wished she could turn back the hands of time in hopes of some how stopping his death. Even so, Emily had good intentions while praying. For months that was all she could seem to do. She'd rather have had God calling him home than seeing him in so much pain and that was her continuous prayer. When she realized it, her hands were covering her face, her hands drenched with tears. Slowly, she lifted her hands from her face and laid them at her side.
“Why did I have to say, pray, or even think those words,” she whispered to herself? Suddenly a voice spoke. It held such an aura of power, and warmth - of light and hope - that she knew it could only be the voice of the Lord, “Don't blame yourself for the words you so graciously prayed, for you held the best of intentions. You were not in vain. It wasn't the words you said or thought that caused his death; it was I who called him home, for it was his time.”
After hearing those words, Emily felt his presence descending behind her. His right hand lay upon her shoulder, while his left stroked her hair. Emily lifted her left hand and rested it upon the hand of her savior and soon began to relive the moments that were still so vivid in her memory. __ It was the thirtieth of March and tears were trying to seep through the lids of her eyes as she saw her grandfather lying in a hospital bed in which he had been for a month. Of course, Emily knew he didn't have much time left upon this earth considering the fact that his body was completely shutting down.
Her grandmother and mother also kept vigilance around her grandfather's bed. All three were close to tears, knowing he could slip away at any moment.
Half out of it, her grandfather pulled her grandmother near to his heart and whispered, “I love you. I love you . . .”
“I love you,” she replied; tears streaming freely down her face.
Emily became on the verge of tears herself after hearing their love being expressed for one another. This continued on for the remainder of Emily's visit. She soon left, leaving her mother behind to stay the night and went home with tears that were unstoppable, knowing this may very well be the last time she would ever see him alive. Worries, regret and anxiety plagued Emily before she had even closed her eyes. They swirled around and around her tired mind, preventing any chance of sleep finding her. It was as if her unconscious mind knew of her grandfather's passing.
The night gave way to day, and Emily rubbed gritted eyes. The little sleep she had managed had been light and filled with nightmares. She awoke to the sound of her door creaking as it was being opened. Undoubtly, she knew he had now slipped away from this life and onto a better one in which she could only imagine. As her eyes began to adjust to the darkness of the room the shadow of her mother came into view and the light was turned on.
One look at her mother's tear stricken face said it all. Before her mother could utter a word she asked, “He's dead, isn't he?”
“He's gone baby,” said her mother with tears flooding down her cheeks.
