going home

There's a Sara Groves cd that i have loved for years now. On it there's a song by this title and another one called "What Do I Know" that in the past couple of weeks have become more real to me than before. I lost my first grandparent this past month - my Mammaw passed away mid-February. I am really thankful for the blessing of having her as my grandmother and especially thankful to have been granted so much time to know her and be around her sweet spirit - that's a gift that not every (grand)child gets. Many of my fondest memories of childhood are traced back to their house in the country. For example, I still look back longingly on eating at her table...she made the best roast and potatoes and mashed potatoes on Sundays for lunch and the best pancakes on Saturday mornings when she would feed her crew of grandchildren who spent Friday night:) In recent years as she became limited in what she could do and where she could go she exhibited a graciousness in dealing with what I fear would most likely leave me frustrated and angry. While it's been a very sad time for the ones who loved her that she left behind there is great comfort in knowing that she is no longer bound by pain or a body that began to quit on her too early. One of the lines in one of those songs above is taken largely from Scripture - "for I know that to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord, and from what I know of Him, that must be very good". So in this season I'm thankful to know that the promises of the Lord are true and that He is faithful.