Why Memorial Day Is Extra-Special

For the past four years, Memorial Day has become even more significant to me. You see, this past Friday, May 28th, marked the fourth anniversary of my dad's death. The passing of each year is sort of like a shock ~ I can't believe that he's really been gone that long ~ I still catch myself thinking "Wait 'til I tell Dad about..." then I remember he's not there.

I'm so thankful that my dad knew Christ as his Savior and has a home in Heaven! His death was a powerful testimony of redemption and God's mercy. You see, although my dad was a believer, he didn't always live like one. He allowed the circumstances of his past and present rule his life.

Dad said he loved the Lord ~ but he just didn't make a relationship with Him a priority in his life. He lived for himself and frequently said, "It's my life, and I'll do what I want." He seemed to forget that his life wasn't his own, that he had "...been bought with a price."

There were times I wondered if my dad was really saved until one day we talked. That day in the hospital, my dad said, "As a young man, I used to wonder how I'd face death when I was old. Would I be afraid? How would I feel? Now that I'm here, I can tell you that I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day." I saw the faith gleaming in his eyes along with his tears. That's when I knew that my dad was eternally secure. My daughter's heart was at peace.

During the next couple years, Dad's health had become increasingly precarious, and I always dreaded "the call". That call happened on Sunday morning, May 28, 2006. We were just about ready to walk out the door for church when the phone rang. My mom said, "Shelly, Daddy's aneurysm has ruptured. The ambulance is here and we're on our way to the hospital." Since we live four hours away, all I could do was wait. At 11:10 that morning, my daddy went home to be with the Lord.

How was God merciful? The aneurysm didn't "pop" like they usually do. When that happens, death is excruciating and can happen within minutes. God allowed it to have a pin-sized hole that leaked slowly. Because of this, Dad was able to live for an extra hour and a half almost pain-free.

During that time, he and my mom reminisced about when they met, got married and celebrated the birth of each child and grandchild. He told her he'd see her on the other side, and turned away. You see, God granted him the opportunity to make amends with my mother. Just the evening before, he read her the passage from Isaiah 43:18-19. It says, "Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?"

Then, in my dad's final moments on this earth, he sat straight up and reached his hands to his Redeemer. It was then that his soul was safely home. The Bible says "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord", so I believe will all my heart that the Good Shepherd Himself picked up His wayward lamb and carried him Home!

Like the song says it's "not because of what I've done, but because of Who You are." Jesus had already done all the work on the cross, and because my dad had accepted the gift of salvation, he belonged to Him and went to Heaven!

During the morning services at my church yesterday, our pastor had those who had loved ones that had served in the military and had passed away stand in their honor. I was privileged to stand for my dad, who served stateside during Vietnam. My dad was proud of his country and loved it immensely. Two of his brothers ~ my Uncle Richard, who served in WW2, and Uncle Lloyd, who had been killed in Korea ~ served in the military, so my dad understood what it meant to sacrifice for his country. Memorial Day was always special to him.

Now that I think of it, in a way it seems fitting that Daddy passed away on Memorial Day weekend. My memories of him will always be filled with laughter, love and what redemption really means.