My Great Aunt Therese was like a grandparent to me. She was there for the big moments in life… always smiling, laughing, sharing her thoughts and opinions, telling us how much she loved us, and singing with that beautiful voice.
One of my most treasured memories is hearing her sing with my Grandma Dolly and others gathered around the piano at my grandparents’ house in Blue Earth. Those times joining together in song, felt like a little taste of heaven on earth.
I talked with Aunt Therese many times about heaven and what it would be like. Interestingly enough, we talked about heaven the last time I visited her at St. Gertrude’s. I had surprised her one evening and was able to spend a few hours visiting. She told me she had been feeling down that day and had prayed that God would send someone to her and told me I was the answer to her prayer.
As our conversation wound down, she told me she was ready for heaven. She was excited to see her parents, siblings, and friends again. After years of being legally blind, simply being able to see again would be such a gift. And to see fully the beauty of what “eye has not seen” is something she looked forward to with great anticipation.
Interestingly, a new album by one of my favorite artists had just been released with its title track, “The Most Beautiful Colours,” all about experiencing heaven. Before I left that evening, I played the song for her and we took in together. Now, that song will always remind me of the love and joy she is experiencing in a way she could only imagine then.
I know she was ready. She told me God could take her anytime though she thought He wanted her to remain where she was to help bring His love to the other residents and staff. While I’m sure that was true, I also wonder if He kept her here for me, too.
Throughout my life, whenever I faced difficult moments or decisions, she was someone I would turn to for advice. But as I grew older and busier, I talked with her less and less, even after she moved to a neighboring town not far away. It wasn’t until she moved into the nursing home that I really got to know her again.
Visiting with her over these last couple of years has been such a blessing. I’m so thankful I had that time with her, and that my wife and kids were able to get to know this amazing woman, as well.
In a way, my being out of work during much of 2025 was a blessing because it gave me more opportunities to visit her. I had more time to be there for her, but she was there for me too. During that difficult season she prayed for me. Those prayers were part of what carried me through a really dark place, helping me find the grace I needed to keep going.
And her witness extended beyond her prayers. Watching her live out her faith in her final years, as she gradually lost more of her sight, freedom, and independence, was powerful. She continued to trust God, to love those around her, and surrender her life to Him.
She also shared wise advice whenever especially when I talked about the joys and challenges of raising teenagers.
“Give them room to grow and change. God isn’t finished with them yet.”
She told me this more than once, explaining that it was something her own mother used to say all the time. It’s such simple, beautiful advice. We are all works in progress, and God is still working on us. Her physical sight may have failed her, but she could see things I sometimes struggled to see myself.
One of my favorite recent memories is a special Christmas visit when we surprised her and went to Mass together. We walked into her room singing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” and she was overwhelmed with happiness. You could see the joy on her face and hear it in her beautiful voice as we sang together again at Christmas Mass.
At that Mass, the words from Isaiah spoke to my heart. I wasn't just hearing them proclaimed. I was seeing them lived out through my aunt. My Aunt Therese had walked in darkness, both physically and emotionally for the last few years. But on that Christmas morning, I saw the light of Christ shining through her. The words of the prophet seemed to be playing out right in front of us, just as they did when Jesus was born on that first Christmas:
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.” -Isaiah 9:2
In that moment, I understood something more about how the light of Christ continues to shine in the darkness of my own life, too. Even when we struggle to see the way forward, God is still at work. Sometimes He sends that light through the people He places in our lives, reminding us to trust Him, to keep going, to love big, and to remember that He isn't finished with us yet.
Now, Aunt Therese can see that great light of Christ in its fullness. She no longer has to imagine what heaven looks like or wonder what it will be like to see her loved ones again.
Look out, Heaven! Great Aunt Therese is coming with her beautiful voice, her larger-than-life, joy-filled smile, and all the love she shared so generously with us here on earth. One day we will sing together again. And that is a day I can't wait for us all to see.
No comments:
Post a Comment