Death is something that make a lot of people feel uncomfortable. Why is that? Is it because we know that one day, death will also come for us? Death happens to everyone, so you would think that it would be a normal topic of conversation seeing that it happens everyday.
The first time we lose someone in our lives, is the time when we ask a lot of questions. I was only 8 years old when my MawMaw Lola passed away. She was 91 years old and I thought she was the best thing since sliced bread! I would go to stay with her for a few days at a time in Egypt, Arkansas. Now for anyone that has never been to AR, Egypt it has a total population of 201 people living there. My days with my MawMaw were spent listening to the radio and eating honey buns on the front porch after church on Sunday.
I remember my mother sitting my sister and I down to tell us that MawMaw had fallen asleep and didn't wake up. As a child, I didn't fully grasp what that meant. I asked a lot of questions. Why did MawMaw not want to wake up? Where did she go? Was she with God in heaven? And where exactly is heaven, can I visit her there?
Going to the funeral answered many of those questions, better than my mother could at the time. I will never forget seeing her in that open casket and having to leave the room. Whoever was laying in the casket was not the MawMaw I knew. She looks cold, still, and unwelcoming...the complete opposite of the women I knew and loved.
What was your first experience losing someone? How old were you? Was is confusing?
Death seems so natural to me now that I have grown up a little. Not something to fear or run from, but an end to a wonderful journey. What are your thoughts?
No comments:
Post a Comment