A time for everything

 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven-- 

      A time to give birth and a time to die;
         A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. 
 A time to kill and a time to heal;
         A time to tear down and a time to build up. 
      A time to weep and a time to laugh;
         A time to mourn and a time to dance. 
      A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
         A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. 
      A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
         A time to keep and a time to throw away. 
      A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
         A time to be silent and a time to speak. 
      A time to love and a time to hate;
         A time for war and a time for peace.
"What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils?
I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.

God Set Eternity in the Heart of Man

   He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.

   I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor--it is the gift of God.

   I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him.

   That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by.

All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust.

I have seen that nothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities, for that is his lot. For who will bring him to see what will occur after him? 

Ecclesiastes 3

My grandpa, my Yanchi Bachi, is reaching the end of his life's journey. And what a journey it has been! He celebrated his ninety second birthday last month, just days before a serious heart attack took a third of his heart and propelled him nearer the finish line. He and Grandma celebrated their sixty sixth wedding anniversary in April, six weeks after the stroke that set him onto this path. Last week and again last night at bedtime two more strokes stole a little bit more of his mind.

Grandpa is the proud father of three children - two girls and a boy - even after the doctors told him he would never be able to have any because of the high fever that Malaria visited upon him while building bridges in East Pakistan during WWII. His legacy continues in-perpetuity with nine grandchildren, nine additional by marriage and eleven great grandchildren.

Yanchi Bachi is a fighter. On his own since the age of sixteen, the second to the youngest of six children, this Hungarian man knew what he wanted. Grandpa met Grandma and in a whirlwind romance married her . . . the next day. He was sent overseas with the Army and she joined the Navy to do her part while awaiting his return. After living and breathing the Great Depression, he knows what it is to work hard to provide for his family. In his later years his grandchildren find that the crusty exterior is easily breached to reveal a soft heart, a heart that loves his God, his family and his country. His days have been long and I hope truly happy. But now, his mind crippled, he faces The Transition with fear and anxiety. Not because he is unsure of Eternity, but because he is unsure of the process and afraid to be alone. 

"Hurry, hurry . . . return!" He called out this morning after a long, fitful night. He said he was calling for Jesus to return - still hoping, longing for the rapture to take us all together before he draws his final breath.

It's okay Grandpa . . . let go . . . Jesus will catch you in His infinite embrace. You will not be alone. 

I love you.