Anniversaries always carry such weight of emotion, especially that first one. The weeks and days leading up to it are filled with thoughts of what we were doing the previous year, whether the final preparations for a wedding, birthing pains, or in my case, helping Mom live out her final days. The first anniversary of her passing was a few days away. The whole month had been filled with memories that seem too fresh to have truly been a year ago. Tears often welled over the slightest recollection. Imagine my joy when my sister Colleen mentioned she would be coming through town. Sister time always made life better, especially since it would give us time to process and reflect on memories of Mom.

In typical fashion, when Colleen left home, I received a message letting me know she was heading down the road. Not so typical was a phone call while enroute, so when I saw her call coming in, a knot of worry hit me. As I answered, she greeted me with cheer. “Hey, do you have a minute to chat?”

“Sure.” I wondered what couldn’t wait until she arrived.

Then she explained: “My new car seems to be struggling to sync my text messages. Occasionally I get some random text message. Last week I got a message from you, but when I looked at my phone, I realized it was an old message. It’s so weird. Anyway, I’ve been driving along, and I got a rather startling text message.” She paused before finishing her sentence, “From Mom.”

“Are you kidding? What did it say?”

“Looking forward to seeing you.”

A gasp was followed by nervous laughter and then tears. It felt a bit eerie and yet tender, especially with the timing of it. I then added, “I hope you won’t be seeing her before me, since we’re supposed to be meeting in an hour, here on earth!” We chatted a bit more and then hung up.

Thankfully, right on schedule, Colleen arrived for a quick lunch and then headed back down the road. Later that afternoon, just before she reached her destination, Colleen called again. She’d just received another message from Mom. This time the text mentioned how much Mom enjoyed their visit, then added she’d been pleased with her morning raspberry harvest.

With the two texts, one could almost imagine that between the, “looking forward to seeing you” and “I so enjoyed your visit”, she actually joined us for lunch. Perhaps she had, especially since in the weeks before Mom departed for glory, Colleen suggested Mom join her for lunch sometime. Mom had certainly been a part of our conversation many times that day.

Can I just say, “Wow, God!” The heavenly messages (that had originally been sent fifteen months prior) were a sweet reminder of our mom and how much she treasured relationships. Her get-togethers with friends, trips to be a part of her grandchildren’s lives, baking cookies for the neighbors, letters and calls to encourage and stay up to date. Through her example, we learned the value of loving others while growing and maintaining relationships. Could there be anything more important to pass along, especially when the most significant relationship we can have is with our Lord Jesus Christ.

How we miss Mom, but what a tender gift from God. I know she’s looking forward to seeing us just as much as we are looking forward to seeing her. What a visit it will be: catching up with her and other loved ones, seeing Jesus face to face, walking the streets of gold, hearing the heavenly choirs, and sitting at the banquet table (oh dear God, I hope there’s chocolate).

One thing is certain, when Colleen and I get there, we’re heading for the raspberry patch. We’re pretty sure that’s where we’ll find Mom, going about the Lord’s work while gathering supplies to make something special for those she loves.