I knew it was going to be a hard day even before fully awake. “There are emergency lights up and down the street,” my better half informed me as I awoke to unsettling news. “I think the lights are for Mr. Ken.” Shortly after 6:30AM, I splashed water on my face, found a t-shirt and shorts, began walking toward the lights… and the home of our friends “Ken” and “Joy.”
The Lights
Police, fire, ambulance lights, vehicles, personnel. “Is there an update?” I asked a departing officer. “Not now,” he said and kept moving. A neighbor stopped, rolled down a window… and shook his head. Ken had left our tight-knit neighborhood and the seven continents he travelled at some point in the night. Cancer was the culprit.
Minutes later, Joy, two neighbors and I shared hands, hearts, and tears. We prayed. Joy took and made difficult phone calls… as we spoke with officers… and officials would come and go. We stayed with Joy while family was on the way.
The Reality
Our granddaughters live around the corner and that morning on the way to school saw the emergency lights. As the pick-up driver at school that afternoon, I knew one of them would require an explanation. What do you say to children about the end of days? How do you explain “why”?
The Talk
“I saw the lights on your street this morning, Grandpa.” Sure enough the questions began, but first something unexpected. “I thought the lights may have been for you.” I paused… and thought… Ken was only four years older than me. “Did you worry about that all day in school?” Thankfully, she did not, but our talk and teaching moment seemed even more important. I explained that Mr. Ken was gone. But there are three things that are always true.
We talked about the truth of each simple yet profound reality. The girls listened… then shared their thoughts and feelings about what happened that day. They understood sad times come… but God is in it all whether we can understand or accept that truth.
It’s All Connected
A couple of days later, my wife and I visited Joy and told her this story… how Ken’s untimely departure allowed for a moment of truth with the grandkids. Indeed, Ken’s passing touched many. He was a world class executive in the top echelon of an elite American tech firm. Achievement, mentorship, benevolence was his trademark… a great and beloved man. Rather than a funeral, the final service was a celebration of life. Speakers from business, academia, government across the country shared stories of Ken’s sacrificial impact.
The Chime
During the service, the church’s clock began to chime. The speakers continued, but since it was noon hour, the chimes kept coming, one after another. I could not help recalling literature class from long ago and “for whom the bell tolls.” I later searched John Donne’s poem to learn it was about “the interconnectedness of humanity.” That made sense. Bells, chimes, lights… we can avoid them for a long time… but eventually they come. What one believes matters. Thankfully, even as we told the grandchildren…
God loves us. ***
…we can be eternally ready. No, we won’t outrun the lights. The bell will toll. But physical death can lead to eternal life… for all who believe. And that being true, live free and full in this life, prepared for the next. Let them flash the lights or ring the bell whenever. You’re ready. Just believe. ****
Prov 19:21 * Rom 8:28 ** John 3:16 *** John 1:12 ****
