On November 10th at 6:30 a.m. God called my Mother safely home. A woman of deep faith with a heart of gold, I have no doubt that Mom went straight to Heaven. After 93 years, Mom’s work in this world is done.
With Mom, I understand the joy that comes with passing from this world into eternal life! As Mom’s prayer card said: “All the pain and grief is over, every restless tossing passed: I am now at peace forever, safely home in Heaven at last.”
Now our family must carry on where Mom left off. That is to love the Lord our God and love one another as Jesus Christ has loved us. “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him” [John 14:23].
Not Lost
The Lord has been our dwelling place in all generations. God became man to show us the way—safely home. Like Mom, Jesus draws each of us to himself for the sake of our salvation. “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” [John 14:2].
Truly, God the Father and the Son, in the Holy Spirit, made their dwelling in the heart of my Mom during her time in this world. Now they are together for all eternity in heaven. That’s the joy! I have not lost Mom or her loving presence.
With our Lord, we are safely home; we are never alone and never lost! We have unconditional love with peace and security to protect us on our life’s journey. This is the love Mom gave—and continues to give—to our family.
Storms Ahead?
However, I’m also reminded of a quote from the movie, The Count of Monte Cristo. “Life is a storm. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next.” Will I get lost in life’s storm without my Mom in this world?
Mom faithfully kept our family together especially after Dad died nearly 20 years ago. God only knows whether we stay together or go our separate ways. Frankly, I have no idea what the remaining time of my life will be like.
Of course in difficult times, Mom liked to quote St. Padre Pio: “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.” I pray and hope to face any upcoming storms the way Mom led her life—with simplicity, humility, and selflessness.
Work To Do
For certain, there is work to do—that’s rooted in God’s love. Weeks before Mom died, she sent a letter to every pastor in her local diocese, asking that they publicly display the Ten Commandments. By keeping God and his Commandments in the forefront of daily living, we experience our Lord’s loving transformation. Mom experienced this transformation during her lifetime. She shared God’s good graces by the way she lived and treated her family, friends, and everyone she met.
From Heaven, Mom will continue to love and guide her children as we carry on. Our purpose is not to stand idly by, but to maintain our family bonds and share the love of our Lord. When our work is completed, God will gently call us home; oh the rapture of that meeting! Oh the joy to see Mom again!
4 thoughts on “Safely Home”
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Amazing Grace…how sweet the sound…
Thank you for sharing these beautiful words. May your Mom rest in Paradise 🙏🏾💜
You are not able to judge who does go to Heaven. You can say that based on the life that somebody lived it is likely that they are either in Heaven or Hell, but the safest assumption to make for anybody is that they are in Purgatory.
Ultimately, we need to pray for those that have departed from us in this life. Offer Masses, Rosaries, prayers, sacrifices and whatever else you can think of for them. In fact, if you want to, you can pray for all the souls in Purgatory.
Comforting in truth to those in similar circumstances.
Thank you for a well-written article.