Life, Death, Faith and Proof

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.
~Steve Jobs~

It seems that for a good while now, I've been preoccupied with thoughts of death.  Not mine - death in general.  I think that stems from the fact that so many I've cared about have passed on in a very short time. Since March of 2012, I've lost a mother-in-law, 3 uncles, an aunt, a brother and a step-sister.  One of the uncles, the aunt and step-sister were on my step-father's side and I wasn't really close to any of them.

My mother-in-law had been sick and her death wasn't unexpected.  She had lived a long and good life.  Everyone who knew her loved her and celebrated her life.  As much as I miss her, I'm comfortable in knowing that she's with God and is whole again and happy.

My brother, also, had been sick and, again, his death was not unexpected but it was such a different experience from losing my mother-in-law.  I had only recently learned of this brother and developed a close affection - yes, even love - for him.  He was younger than I and from what little I learned about him on my own and what I also learned from others, he was a good man, kind and loving who cherished his family.  Even though I knew his time was short and that we would never be able to make memories, I was still caught off-guard when my sister-in-law told me he was gone.

Uncle Doodle was a shock.  I had seen him just a month before he passed and he seemed to be doing so well.  In fact, he knew we were stopping by to visit on our way to see our granddaughter.  He had spent the entire morning cooking for us - baked ham, barbecued ribs, corn on the cob - and Lord knows what else!  When his daughter called me a month later and told me he was gone, I was flabbergasted.

That brings me to Uncle Howard.  He had been having health issues and had been recently released from a second stay in the hospital when he had to be readmitted.  Even so, I still thought he would recover.  As did my aunt.  She told me that she had no clue on that last morning that the day would end as it did.

It struck me a little harder with each death that the generation just above me is quickly disappearing.  My own generation has begun its demise with my brother and step-sister.  How can one NOT think of one's own mortality?

The natural progression from there is wondering about life after death and the faith that there is more in store for us.  Of course, that makes me think of atheists and I start to feel sorry for them that they are ignorant and just don't get it.  They don't get that it's pure and uncomplicated faith that's important.  The arrogance of them to demand proof!  I have to wonder: do they (atheists) want proof for every thing they believe?  Do they believe in aliens from outer space or ghosts?  If they DO believe in ghosts, then wouldn't they have to believe there's a spirit inside of us?

Science was one of my least favorite subjects in school.  Maybe that's because I'm not all about getting "proof" and am, in fact, quite okay with not knowing every single detail about life, death and God.  I believe in Him and I believe in Heaven.  I have faith and that's all that matters to me.  Maybe that's the problem with atheists - they can't see far enough beyond their own ignorance to know that we can't possibly know everything and that some things just have to be taken on faith.

So there you go.  I spend a lot of time thinking about death and the people I've lost over the years.  I worry about atheists and wonder how to change their minds.  I don't want anyone to not make it to Heaven but I know there are some who won't.  I just pray that none of those who I love are among them.