REFLECTIONS ON THE LOSS OF A SPOUSE. From John Hicks
I have so much to be thankful for… for 55 wonderful years with Mary and so many happy memories. I am so grateful that she died without any pain or a long and debilitating illness. Active to the last, the week she died we had twice taken our favourite walk by Widewater lagoon at Shoreham.
On the night of September 3rd 2013 as we went to sleep we prayed, as usual, for each of our children and grandchildren by name and then committed ourselves into the Lord’s hands for the night.
Early in the morning Mary had what was found to be a major bleed in the brain for which nothing could be done. She was unconscious as I sat with her in the ward at Worthing hospital. With all of the activities on the other side of the curtain, I felt a peace which was almost tangible. At some point she passed from my hands into the hands of her Lord.
I miss her now just as much as ever; and yes, from time to time I still dissolve into tears.
We did realise that, sometime, one of us would leave this scene before the other. Just a few weeks earlier we had looked together at John chapter 17, including verses 20 and 24…”I pray for those who will believe in me…. Father, I want those you have given me to be where I am and to see my glory”.
Where is Mary now? It is enough for me to know that she is with the Lord.
The ‘hope’ we have outweighs the sadness of parting for a while.