It made me think that in our busy day-to-day hustle, lives are beginning and ending all around us. People are grieving and rejoicing everywhere continually. In Ecclesiastes 3:2 it says there is "a time to be born, and a time to die". They are listed together because they go together. God's plan keeps rolling along without a hitch .... babies are born while others are passing away. God commands us to love one another. That's why it hurts so much when we lose a loved one. But God knew that would be the case and promised to comfort the grieving. He understands our emotions.
The name of the man whose funeral I attended was Ed. I thought about how Ed had undoubtedly rejoiced at the birth of all of his children, and as I glanced around the room, there they all were honoring his life. Without him they would not have lived, and now that he has died he has left a legacy to continue on as it had been before he was even born. His parents had rejoiced over his birth when he was born, the pattern of life just keeps going on.
So tonight I first raise a glass to Ed. For being a loving husband, someone who loved his wife for 63 years without ever having an argument, yes that's really true. He lived with his sweetheart until the end. And for being a devoted father instilling in all of his children strong values and the importance of family. And secondly, I raise a glass to a brand new baby boy who is beginning a legacy of his own.
