Death Takes No Holidays

Peter just sat quietly, drinking coffee, ready to say or do anything that needed to be done.

It was just a few hours since my mother had died, and Peter had dropped everything and called around as soon as he heard the news.

We’d met a few years before when he walked into the office at work.

When we shook hands for the first time, it began a relationship that has seen us become the best of friends.

Back when Mum passed away, Peter’s mother in law, Norma, assumed the role as surrogate grandmother for my children.

My Dad was a bit lost without my mother, but always felt at home when visiting Peter and his family.

It turned out that the farm Peter and his wife Tina had bought had been part of Dad’s hunting range years before.

Sitting on Peter’s front verandah drinking Lebanese coffee, or a beer, was one of his delights before he too passed away.

Of course, when Dad went, Peter, Tina, and indeed their whole family rallied around us again. He’s never had any formal training as a counsellor as far as I know, but Peter is a great friend to have during tough times.

Dinner parties have always been a loud, happy affair on the farm! No such thing as a simple meal where this family is concerned, and visitors are always counted as a part of the family.

Lots of the food eaten during the feasts was grown on the farm, and was turned into Lebanese, Italian and English style meals.

It was in the middle of of rushing around and preparing for the Christmas feast this week that Norma had a massive stroke, and passed away.

I was shocked when I heard the news, and I’m still stunned. My kids are too, having lost their second ‘Nanna’.

My concern has been whether I can be as good a friend to Peter and Tina in their time of need, as they have been to me in mine.

I’ve been on the farm today looking after the animals and keeping an eye on things while Peter has been busy with family matters.

Standing in the shade, looking out over the valley as the sun poured down, splashing the scenery with a blast of heat and color, I paused to think about the timing of Norma’s passing.

It’s Christmas, Summer holiday time here in Australia.

What I realized as I stood there is that people take holidays, but death doesn’t.

My life has taken a different course over the past few years, and I have changed jobs so that I can spend more time writing, and more importantly, time with family and friends.

I measure my wealth by the quality of my relationships. I feel that my identity is in my relationships with my Creator, family and friends.

These relationships are what I count as precious in my life.

Every Christmas, one hears of deaths on the road, or deaths from natural disaster.

That’s why I believe that we need to invest time and energy into our relationships – we just never know the day, or the hour, when things will change, because death takes no holidays.

This isn’t meant to be a morbid post, it’s simply a reflection on my own life journey. I for one will enjoy the time with friends, and the chance to take a well earned break from the usual routine!

Enjoy your holiday season, keep safe on the roads, and above all, spend time with your loved ones.

I trust that you have an enjoyable holiday season, no matter what your traditions or beliefs are.

Tell your family that you love them, today, and every day.

That will mean far more in the long run than any amount of money that you could spend on them.

Merry Christmas.