Names Etched on Hearts

In my many years as a grocery store cashier, there were certain regular customers who became especially dear. One such favorite was a retired serviceman, now aged and frail, who frequently  accompanied his wife on her shopping trips, always riding a motorized scooter, proudly telling everyone he met that it was given to him for free by the Veterans Administration. His first action upon entering the store was usually to find me and stop to chat for a bit while his wife shopped. After we had talked for a few minutes he’d zoom off after his spouse, and I wouldn’t see him again till the next time they came in and the action was repeated. We got to be good friends in those frequent, short interactions. After I retired I never saw him again, and a year or so later his wife messaged me to let me know he had passed. I was sad that I couldn’t make it to his funeral, but I cherished the happy memories he left behind.

So imagine my surprise as the events of the day yesterday unfolded: I dropped my little dog off for her grooming appointment, then stopped in at the little bakery next door to pick up a treat for breakfast. The small-town cemetery was in the lot opposite these two businesses; I found it a lovely and serene place to stop for a moment to drink my coffee and eat my just-purchased cherry turnover before heading off to accomplish other tasks. I drove to the back of the lot, over the little hill, and stopped in the shade of a beautiful tree in a spot that overlooked the rural countryside beyond. Rolling the windows down, I simply soaked in the peace and beauty of the place while eating.

I happened to look down at the grave marker nearest me, and was surprised to see that the name Skaggs was etched across the top in large black script.

“I know that name,” I thought to myself… and looked further down the stone to discover that I was indeed parked right beside the final resting place of the man I described above! And then I got tickled, because even though I had had absolutely no idea he was buried there, I don’t think I came upon that spot by chance. Only God could know that my next stop was going to be the very grocery store where this man so often made my day by stopping to say hi upon entering… and now He was giving me the chance to do the same back to him! The thought made me smile and I carried that smile for the rest of the day… just as I used to do whenever he would drive up on his scooter and say “Hey!”

I say all this because several friends of mine are in mourning at the moment; two have just lost their husbands, and the third had a son who recently passed away. In the throes of their grief, they feel like a part of their heart has been carved out and will never be returned.

God doesn’t allow that to happen, but will bring images of their loved ones back to them in the most unexpected moments and places. They will see their loved ones again in this lifetime, over and over again, as clearly as this morning I could see my veteran friend riding up to me on his scooter to make my day… moments that will keep them smiling until they find themselves together forever once more.

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13 NIV)

 (photo credit: Unsplash/Waldemar)