On Life and Death

My mother-in-law is dying.
Honestly, she's been going downhill ever since Mike's dad passed away 6 years ago. She's had strokes, and Alzheimer's/dementia, and it's been a long, sad struggle. She's been in a home health care facility for years, confused and barely able to speak. Sometimes we saw a spark of recognition in her eyes--we think--and a ghost of a smile around her mouth, but mostly she just looked at us.
Early this week, we were told that she is no longer eating or drinking, and would probably be gone by Wednesday. Then they changed it to Thursday...then Friday...and now she's still sleeping peacefully, but we've decided to go to Houston tomorrow to say good-bye. The nurses and Mike's sister wonder if maybe she's not letting go because she wants to see her baby boy one more time.

All week I've been asking, "Why is death so quick for some people and so agonizingly long for others?" Why can't she just go on home, where she can be whole and really live again?

Last night (and please don't think I'm crazy) our dog had puppies. FIVE puppies! We suspected it would be the day by the way she was nesting, so when Mike took Rebecca to get a movie, I sat by her bed, and ended up being her midwife for the next 2 hours! I've watched her have puppies twice before, and she never had a problem either of those times. This time was harder. She whimpered some and was shaking; two of them were breach. But it was still--even though she's just a little dog--it was still so moving! When she was having trouble, I thought about how if we humans had never sinned, she wouldn't have trouble at all, and (is this okay?) I prayed that God would make it go well for her. I was so relieved that it did!

So it got me thinking about birth, including my own childbirth experiences, and how unique each one is. My mom's first labor lasted 36 hours and her second about 18 minutes! Well, isn't death for a follower of Christ actually birth into true life, the life we were really created for? So some may be quicker or longer than others, and none will be easy, But the end results will be wonderful beyond our comprehension!