"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" ~Revelation 21: 4 -5
Grief has a way of poking its head around the corner when we least expect it. My best friend’s birthday was the end of July and as I thought of her, my heart seemed to both ache and smile. Time has passed ~ six years since she went Home to be with Jesus. Sometimes it feels like six minutes and and sometimes more like sixty years. Yet I freely hold Joy in one hand and Sorrow in the other. Grief is like that. At the beginning of the journey, we feel that intense yearning for our loved one; the desire is strong and deeply painful. As we move through time, the yearning is still there but we are able to focus more on thoughts of our loved one’s life, rather than their death.
That brings me to Banana Bread. My friend never wasted a too-ripe banana ~ ever. She would sometimes ask if I would like a loaf of banana bread. The thought of her asking me this always makes my heart smile. She had this unique way of pronouncing banana. It just seemed to roll off her tongue in an unusual way~ sometimes in my mind I can hear her say it. So today when I see the too-ripe bananas on my kitchen counter I smile.
Her birthday always reminds me of the restaurant, Max and Erma’s. On each of our birthdays this was our usual lunch spot. My husband knew that if she and I were scheduled for a lunch there, it would most likely be a two or three-hour lunch. We tipped generously! It was a long time before I could eat lunch again at Max and Erma’s.
In the beginning of my grief journey, I simply ignored the restaurant ~ choosing instead to go somewhere else with friends. After some time passed, I met a friend there one day for lunch. My salad was delicious but the decor had changed. It was not a bad lunch ~ the company was excellent and the sun was shining. But it was different.
I realize now that many things will never be the same. They will always be different, and that is just as it should be. But boy when I get to Heaven, I can’t wait to hear her say banana bread.