All Saints Day...

This morning Jack and I met my sisters, Sue and Jenny, at First Presbyterian Church for an All Saints Day service. This is the service when a church remembers all members who have died since last All Saints Day. We were there to celebrate and remember our mom (and of course, Mike was in our hearts as well).  It was a lovely service and it felt good to be there together because I knew how much it would have meant to Marmar. My mom and Sue love(d) their church and their church community. At the passing of the peace, so many of my mom's peers/friends came over to say hello, including Clare (short for Clarence) and Gloria. It was good to connect with so many of them. As the service resumed, we noticed that Clare and Gloria were having a little discussion and shortly after that, Clare got up and left the sanctuary. There was a lovely sermon and communion, then we closed with that awesome hymn "For all the Saints". After the recessional, we picked up a white rose in Mom's honor and gave a quick hug to Pastor Nancy. She was in tears, saying how much she missed Mom. Jenny decided to make a stop in the restroom before we left, but quickly returned saying that Clare was curled up on a sofa in the parlor with Gloria standing over him. Clare had no pulse. He was gone and had been for a while.He had died! Clare had come over to shake our hands then less than thirty minutes later, he went to Heaven. Oh. My. Gosh. We could not believe it. Word spread quickly to the few folks still in the narthex, including Pastor Nancy, but so many of the congregation had already gone downstairs for fellowship time, unaware that their friend had just suddenly left this world.
What a way to go. Seriously. Quickly, quietly and at church. Before the All Saints service had ended, First Presbyterian had a brand new saint.
It was another reminder to us how quickly things can change in this world and to take nothing for granted.