Waking up to beautiful sunshine is usually a great start to a great day. This great, sunshiny day was my husband’s first Father’s day as a daddy. We had so many plans to make it special for him. Then, I got the call that would change the memory of that day forever.
Through tears and pain my mom whispered into the phone, “Ma passed away.” At first I didn’t believe a word that she said. I couldn’t believe what she said. How could she be gone? It wasn’t time yet. Our family wasn’t ready.
Although neither of us were ready we went to Ma and Pa Kettle’s house to comfort Pa. He had lost his whole life that morning; his loving wife, his best friend, his partner in crime. When we pulled into the driveway the grief hit us hard. We realized that we wouldn’t be able to walk in the house to see her sitting in the recliner. We wouldn’t be able to go give her a hug or tell her how much we love her. We would walk in and see the entirety of our family grieving a terrible loss. She was the strength of our family; the glue that held the pieces of our family together.
The strength that no one expected, but the strength that we all needed was Pa. A man who had just lost his wife calmly told everyone that she was in a better place. She was in Heaven with God; a place with no tears and no sadness, a place with only joy and laughter, a grand bouquet that was only meant for the most beautiful flowers. She was chosen as one of those flowers. She was chosen to join the choir of angels in the sky.