A Letter to my Husband in Heaven

Dear Frank,

Today is your birthday and I am especially thinking about you.  It’s been two and a half years since you left and I’m wondering what birthdays are like in Heaven.  We’d be celebrating your 76^th here, but thinking about eternity, it seems foolish to even be counting.  Can you believe that we’ll celebrate our lives forever and together there someday?  That thought is hard to imagine, but we know that is God’s promise to us: “We will be with the Lord forever” (I Thessalonians 4:17).

Thank you for the deep and tender love you showed me in the few, short years we were married. Though I have often thought since you died that I wish we had done more, seen more, gone more – I have many precious memories.  I was smitten from the start – just thinking of the fun story of how we met when you came to fix an electrical issue in my condo, and then to our first date where you took my hand and prayed for our meal at Bravo!!  Five months later, we were married!

We did so many fun things together: drives to Amish country and staying many nights at the Inn of Oak Ridge, a favorite place that was originally a wedding gift from Lisa and Sue.  We loved the three Caribbean cruises we shared with special friends; our trip to New England was a first for you, and you started collecting lighthouses and boats after that.  I loved them, too.  We made several trips to Florida; oh, how you loved the sun!  We enjoyed several weekends at Lakeside. We liked taking Bible Study Fellowship classes.  You attended a men’s class on Monday and I had a women’s class on Thursday but we could compare answers to our questions and talk about the lectures.  We enjoyed playing euchre with your family once a month.  You and Dale always got tickled about something and had all of us laughing. 

You were so handy to make each of our two houses comfortable.  You could do nearly anything – from installing can lights to building garden ponds.  You took wonderful care of our large yards.  You’d be so pleased at the way all our friends in small group have willingly helped me with home maintenance jobs in your absence: winterizing things like putting in storm doors; covering the pond; pointing out things like cracked stucco or rotted wood that needs repair; changing light bulbs.  I remind them that they are being God’s hands and feet…James 1:27, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…”

You surely did love our grandchildren, Landon and Alyssa!  Do you remember that Landon said “Papaw” long before we could get him to say “Mamaw”?  You both would laugh!  We surely enjoyed our three days a week of taking care of Landon when he was a baby.  I was so excited to be the first to see him “roll-over”.  You called him “Skeeter” and you two had a special bond.  You also loved Alyssa and would call her “Sissy”.  Beth and Tim are such a joy and they have continued to stay in touch with me, even though they are busy with their lives. 

Landon and Alyssa are growing up so quickly!  Landon is quite the athlete!  He plays softball, basketball, soccer and hockey all equally well.  He just got contacts so he doesn’t have to worry about his glasses falling off.  Alyssa is a wonderful little gymnast; she makes doing flips look so easy.  She is also a little fashion diva.  She has all the moves and a great smile!  I know you especially wanted to see Landon graduate from high school but you’d be so pleased at the young man he has become.  Both kids really miss you.

Everyone misses your good friendship, witty comments and flashy shirts.  I just miss you!  I miss your daily companionship; having you near to discuss what’s happening in the world; what do you think about that; should I do this?   Thank you Frank, for a life well lived and for finishing well!  I’ll see you soon, be it days or years!  These words to a song by Sarah Darling, give me comfort as I think about where you are now:

Knowing what I know about Heaven
Believing that you’re all the way home
Knowing that you’re somewhere better
Is all I need to let you go.

I could hope that I could pray you’re back
But why on earth would I do that
When you’re somewhere, life and love never ends
Oh, knowing what I know about heaven.

Tom and Pam are taking me this afternoon to Elms for pizza in Granville, and then we are coming back home for cake.  Happy Birthday, hon.

I love you so much, Pam