Go with me!

I am nervous about writing this particular post. I am so worried that I won't do it justice but I feel that it needs to be written. Please, Lord, give me the words.

Tomorrow will be 8 years since my father passed away. This is the story of the gift that he left us in his last hours on this Earth...

Hospice was called in. He was brought home from the hospital so that he could die his way...with dignity...in his own bed.

On January 10 around 12:30 a.m., it started. He woke all of us because he had a story to tell. A story that would take almost 4 hours. He would talk a little and sleep a little.

He asked if we heard the train. "Woooo...woooo...woooo!" He looked at my mom and said "Well, I guess that I had better get on". When the ride ended, he was at the bottom of the mountain. As he exited the train, he looked at all of us and said:

"This is the most beautiful place that I have ever seen. The flowers are every color of the rainbow. The sky is the bluest that you have ever seen. The smell is like nothing that I have ever smelled."

"There is a cherry tree. It's been blown down but it still smells so wonderful."

"Do you hear that? The angels are singing. The sound is like candy to my ears. I can't believe how magnificent this is."

My dad always had an amazing way of telling a story. Everyone wanted to hear every word. He took you to that time, that place, that feeling. This time was no different.

Our spouses were called in...knowing that his time was coming to an end. He started telling them of the beauty that he was experiencing. "Oh, and the women...they are gorgeous...hoochie, hoochie" Now, as much as I know that this is inappropriate, I felt the need to add it...because...well, if you knew my dad, then you understand. He could always appreciate a beautiful woman! We all got a good laugh from that.

When he got to the top of the mountain, he could see a huge feast at the bottom but wasn't quite sure how to get there. About that time, he said "Oh, Bubba is here . He is going to help me." Bubba was my cousin that died when he was about 17 years old.

As they walked, my dad talked about the people and things that he would see. All of the people were acquaintances that he had met throughout his life, but not family members. When he got to the bottom of the mountain, he talked about the long line. He said "Well, I guess I should get in line."

Another thing about my dad is he LOVED to cook. He LOVED food! He loved to cook for others. While he was standing in line, he kept telling us about all of the foods that were on the feast tables.

Then...he was there...at the "pearly gates". He stretched his arms out in front of him, looked at my mom and said "Oh, Patty...he's gorgeous. He's reaching his arms out for me". My mom told him that he needed to go. But he couldn't...

My dad loved life...he loved us...he loved God. He still had one more thing to do. He loved to talk to people about Jesus and how much He loves us. He would witness to anyone that would listen...and even those that wouldn't! This was his final witnessing moment...

He looked at each one of us individually and said "Go with me!" At the time, we thought he was scared because he didn't want to leave us. We told him that he had to go alone. He kept saying..."Go with me!" Each of us told him that we would come but at another time.

Finally, he started talking about loved ones that he saw. He saw his dad and mom. Then he got very emotional. He saw her...and she was whole...and she was healthy. "It's Joy. Mom has her." Joy was his 1st daughter that died when she was 3 days old. She had a birth defect. Doctors were unable to save her.

We all told him to go, we would be alright, and would see him again. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. It was the most emotional moment that I have ever had the privilege to experience.

With that, he closed his eyes and passed over.

Some people wonder if there is a heaven or a God. Because of this GIFT that my father gave me, I KNOW there is a heaven and a God because I got to experience it. When my dad was asking us to go with him, what he meant was "Make sure that you go with me. Make sure that you accept God as your savior".

He loved us so much that he wanted to be sure that he saw us again. I think that he loved us almost as much as God does. That's a whole lot of love.

I tell this story because I think it needs to be told...

and also to say...

"Go with me!"