ONE LAST KISS
Written by:
Jenny Calvert
“And now I know that none of you,
among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom, will ever see my face
again. In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must
support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said,
‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” When he had finished speaking,
he knelt down with them all and prayed. There was
much weeping among them all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, grieving
especially because of what he had said, that they would not see him again. Then
they brought him to the ship.
Acts 20:27, 35-38
(NRSV)
Dad’s mind was ravaged because of Alzheimer disease and it
was a sad day when I went home to say my final goodbyes on his death bed. When I got to the facility many were already
gathered around his bed. He was so well loved because of the life he had lived.
He was such a loving man, always wanting
a hug and a kiss, always telling of his love for us. In fact, dad loved everyone,
even his enemies. He would greet almost
all with a holy kiss, as mentioned in the Bible. We never doubted that love for one minute.
The church of Ephesus knew that they were seeing Paul for
the last time. He left them with words
of warning and wisdom. He loved the
church and they loved him. When they
parted they cried and hugged and kissed him. They knew that the next time they
would see Paul would be in eternity.
Around Dad’s bed that day was much weeping. We knew this was our last time on earth to
see his sweet face. Dad suddenly opened his eyes, and even though he could no
longer walk, talk or eat he puckered up his lips for a kiss. So I bent down and gave dad one last kiss. I will never forget his devotion to the Lord,
his words of wisdom, the Godly example he set and his love for us. Until the day we will be reunited, I must follow
the same path dad took, the path of God’s love. Because of the sacrifice of
Jesus, we have a hope for eternity where we will greet God and all of our loved
ones with a holy kiss.
Dearest Jesus,
Thank-you for my earthly father and for letting me have that
one last kiss. Till we meet at your feet
may God be with us and comfort us.
In Your Holy Name,
Amen
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