I went to visit Grandma yesterday, but it wasn’t the same type of visit as usual. You see this time when I went to visit her I had to go visit her in the hospital. Grandma was rushed to the hospital last week because she had passed out. Well, I spent some time speaking with her doctor yesterday and the news wasn’t very good. Seems Grandma’s heart is about ready to give out.

Needless to say the news shook me up a little bit so I decided to go grab a cup of coffee and compose myself before I went back into Grandma’s room to visit with her. I took the coffee and went out on the hospital grounds to walk around and collect my thoughts.

As I walked around out there I looked up at the trees and noticed how bare they looked . . . Their leaves having mostly all fallen to the ground . . . And their branches stretched out exposed for all of heaven and earth to see. I noticed a squirrel out there on the lawn, digging through the fallen leaves . . .he was busy gathering nuts and seeds in preparation for the cold winter months ahead.

Then my thoughts turned back to Grandma lying up there in that hospital bed . . . I thought of how our lives, our faults and our sins lie exposed to the Lord much like those bare branches of the trees are . . . And I thought about all of the years Grandma has spent preparing for the day when she will come to meet the Lord . . . Faithfully walking as the Lord has guided her.

I thought of how anxious Grandma has been for that day to finally arrive . . . How she has looked forward to the day she would be called back home to be with the Lord. Then I thought about my own life, how I have been preparing for the day when I must stand before the Lord and give an account of my life . . . I thought of the changes I’ve made through the Grace of God . . . How the Lord has guided me to remove many sinful ways from my life . . . Nd how the Lord is still working ON me and IN me.

Then I prayed, I asked the Lord for the strength to be there for Grandma in her hour of need . . . And I asked the Lord to keep my eyes and my ears open so that I may continue to see and hear all that HE tries to show me. I asked that HE continue to guide me in my walk with HIM, continuing point out where I might stray from the path . . . So that I will be prepared when my time comes.

Just a thought over coffee.

Durango KR1356@aol.com