I went to a funeral the other day with my friend, Sharon. Michele Grim, a most loveable child of Bobby and Cookie Grim, had died peacefully in her easy chair at home. Her aging parents had attempted to administer CPR to their beloved child, but her soul had already left the room.
Kim Grim Strite, Michele’s loving sister, who lived in Florida, departed this world some four hours earlier herself after a medical emergency.
Grief would come to visit Bobby and Cookie in a most traumatic way.
Michele was a favorite kid growing up in the hills of Dargan, and she had a handicap which slowed her thinking a bit. Her mom and dad took fine care of her, and many friends helped out along the way. Her journey ended on this earth at the age of 58.
Michele’s sister, Kim, was always very close to her; Kim was supposed to be her caretaker if Bobby and Cookie died before Michele, and now Kim was gone too.
Michele was a favorite of my wife, Sheila. Michele’s physical trials were many, but she brought so much joy down this path of life to everyone who knew her.
Many tears would visit the Grim house over the years, but Michele had a way of delivering smiles to all she encountered.
As the funeral service was nearing an end, Lana Myers Willets, offered a closing song, “The only scars in Heaven.” With an Angelic voice, and a solemn congregation listening, Lana began to sing:
If I had only known the last time would be the last time
I would’ve put off all the things I had to do
I would’ve stayed a little longer, held on a little tighter
Now what I’d give for one more day with you.
I’m more than a little certain that many readers of this column will identify with those words, “If only we could spend one more day with a love one” before they get that final boarding pass to Heaven.
Today, among those tears, there is a relief and joy too associated with Michele’s passing for there is no more suffering, pain, handicap and trials for her on this earth.
But only if we had one more day!
And that is the most difficult part of grief; that need for one more day with a loved one.
Many stories at this little church in Trego were told by Funeral Pastor Jim Willets about Michele. It was an uplifting service with many good and humorous stories.
But there was still one dark cloud in the sky.
Kim Grim Strite, Michele’s sister who lived in Florida with her husband, Dale, and was identified as a future caretaker for Michele, would suddenly die some four hours earlier than her sister.
Can you imagine as a parent losing two of your daughters within four hours of each other. Grief’s knock at the Grim’s door was ‘loud’ and ‘uninviting.’
Shock, tears, sadness, stories, anguish and sorrow would crowd this family’s residence for days to come. Disbelief still remains.
As I visited with the parents, Bobby shared with me that Kim had recently spent several weeks with them while helping around the house with many kind deeds.
The parents and Michele were most happy with her presence and visit!
Kim loved Michele in a most special way; they were very close. It seems more than a little odd that both would take a journey to the hereafter within hours of each other.
Although as shocking and sorrowful as this story really is in the loss of two endearing daughters, there appears some quiet solace present in a most difficult storm of life.
Kim has seemingly escorted Michele on her journey to the next life so she may not be alone.
Some even say, “When the sun goes down the stars come out.”
As Michele’s service was ending, Lana sang the final verse of her song:
The only scars in Heaven, they won’t belong to me and you
There’ll be no such thing as broken, and all the old will be made new
And the thought that makes me smile now, even as the tears fall down
Is that the only scars in Heaven are on the hands that hold you now.
Sharon and I, along with Bob and Amy Waters-Parasiliti, send our heartfelt condolences to Michele and Kim’s families and friends, and send up a simple prayer that God’s comfort and peace might surround you at this difficult hour.
Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened ~ Dr. Seuss. Amen!
