Beautiful Passing

Both of my grandparents passed away this past year–within ten months of each other. I was able to visit both of them on their last few days breathing this earthen air. Both of them opened their eyes near the end, saying the same thing: “You are…beautiful” Where were they looking? Were they remembering something? Were they seeing someone’s face? Were they looking at something further away, an angel leading them along? I’ll never know. It is a precious and often rare gift to be able to say goodbye, to hold hands of those leaving and say, thank you. We pray for a peaceful passing between the two worlds. The worlds we can see and the worlds we can’t. A world where heaven awaits and a world where we await heaven come to earth.