On August 28th, 2022, my wife of 41 and a half years left this world to go to her heavenly home. We were blessed with a son, Josh, and a daughter, Holly. Between the births of our son and daughter, God chose to take our second son, Toby, when my wife was 4 months pregnant. She is now able to be with him, and many family members who left for heaven before her. I was blessed to be with her those years, as we grew together, and were very close. On this earth, she never walked, but on 8/28/22, she took her very first steps through the pearly gates of heaven. At the time of this writing, she has been gone for almost one year. I have been taught by God how difficult it can be to have a spouse pass from this life after many years together. Now as a pastor again, I can better relate to the widows in the church I pastor, as well as those God brings into my life. She may have been in a wheelchair for her entire life on Earth, but it never stopped her from being active. Whenever the sun came up, she too was ready to start her day. She loved being a momma to our children, was an awesome cook, and made sure that the inside of where we lived was clean. She always told me that just as the outside was a reflection upon me, the inside was a reflection on her. Many times over the years as we were visited, comments about how well-ordered the house was. In her younger years, and up until her final years, she loved to dust, cook, clean up, and make sure that our children were taken care of. She always supported me in ministry and blessed me with her input and spirit. It has been almost a year since she was taken home, but I can remember her last words as if she just said them. She told us all how much she loved us, followed by, “Eddie, I’m ready to go home.” Linda knew where she was going once that last breath came, and she looked forward to seeing her Savior, Jesus Christ, and the many family members who went before her. I will be forever grateful for God blessing me with a wife that would help me in more ways than I could even begin to say. I miss her, but am blessed knowing that she is enjoying her life in heaven in ways she never could here on earth. One glorious daybreak, Jesus is coming for His church. Until then, God still has work for me to do. Once that work is completed, He will call me home to join her and our family who are already in heaven, and these days of being apart from our loved ones will be over.
If you are married, let your wife know what a blessing she is. If you are a wife, do the same with your husband. We none know when our last day on this earth will be, so cherish your loved ones, and make sure that you too can say as my wife did a year ago, “I’m ready to go home.