I’m wrapping up my chat with my friends Pete and June in their living room, just before they celebrate their 69th wedding anniversary. And we return to a familiar topic in our conversations: their neighbors.
Pete loves to talk about their street. He describes how there are seventeen families on the block, and over the years he has given each five letters talking about Jesus. He starts gently and then puts on a little more pressure. He tells them there is a heaven and there is a hell. He’s seen some reaction and a lot of no reaction, but all are friendly. They all know his condition now; he’s told them all.
His condition. Pete isn’t afraid to say he’s dying of kidney failure. He’s not sure how long he has, if they’ll make it to 70 years of marriage.
“What’s going through your mind in this season?” I ask the hard question.
Pete says they are processing the time with their family, whom they adore. I ask Pete why he’s chosen not to do dialysis. He says he’s known several people who have done it, and it’s not fun.
“If the Lord wants to heal me, it’s well within the realm of possibility. God can do anything. If he doesn’t want to heal me, I figure it’s time to go home. But if I take dialysis, the normal process is two years and then it’s not effective anymore and you go through a second time of dying—one before dialysis and one after,” he explains.
“At our ages we don’t have much time anyway. If it’s time for me to die, I’m ready to go home. She’s accepted it and she’s ready for it,” he notes, looking at June. “We’ve had a good time.”
“Yes, we are totally at peace,” chimes in June. “We are so thankful.”
It’s as simple as two people who believe that to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Be Longing. Pete models how to be longing for heaven. He seems ready, and June is trusting the Lord.
I return the next morning with my camera to take a photo of the vegetables balancing on the railing, and Pete stuffs my bag with rhubarb, squash, tomatoes, and seeds to plant. I watch him harvest from his garden out back, the sun warm on our backs, and my heart is thankful.
Thankful for Pete and June: how they offer hope and belonging to so many. How their harvest is plentiful: a family, neighbors, and many others who are closer to Christ because of their influence. Thankful for how they model to me–even in this harvest season of their lives–what it means to long for heaven.
I love this couple, and I want to plant myself in their garden to soak in more time with them. But I must go, so I leave with a full heart, a full bag, and a handful of seeds to plant for the next generation.
Steven Lee
Love your writing Cheryce, and love June and Pete’s story. He always greeted me with a big smile and the firmest handshake at church. Keep telling those stories, you have a gift.
12 . 09 . 2017Cheryce
Thank you, Steven. That means a lot. Pete’s still shaking hands.
15 . 09 . 2017