We surrounded him...

3 years ago I witnessed a life pass from time into eternity.

The memory of it has been burned into my soul, my heart, my mind.

Death would soon usher my dad into another state of being.

Having said our goodbyes, we could not leave him alone.

My sisters and I, our husbands and my mom

Surrounded his hospital bed.

His breathing was ragged.

He was still fighting to live more days on the earth.

Helpless, the time had come.

We did what we knew, we surrounded him.

We surrounded him with love.

We surrounded him with our voices, singing.

Songs of praise, of worship, of faith, hope and love.

We were timid at first, emotions overwhelming.

But as we sang, we could not help but turn our eyes

to the One who conquered death.

The noises outside the room faded away...

Our voices grew stronger...

Eventually we knew that we ourselves were "in between",

neither here nor there.

His breathing became easier now, softer.

Perhaps his breathing matched the phrasing of the hymns we sang...

Perhaps his breath was being "caught away"

as his body became unnecessary for truly living...

Perhaps he could not tell the difference between our voices

and the voices of angels who had come to carry him over...

And then... the moment had come and gone...

and still...

We could not help but turn our eyes

to the One who conquered death.

There was no sting, and the victory was not held by death,

but by the author of Life.

Dad passed over into eternity surrounded by love,

Surrounded by the songs of heaven.

Surrounded.

I cannot speak for the others...

But I caught a glimpse of something...

something, maybe someOne that took my breath away...

I've never been the same...

In remembrance - May 16th, 2008.

Aristotelis Bolovinos

We love and miss you daddy Y

"If I ascend into heaven, You are there;

If i make my bed in hell, behold You are there,

If I take the wings of the morning,

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

Even there Your hand shall lead me,

And Your right hand shall hold me...

...Lead me in the way everlasting."

Ps 139:8-10; 24b