Grandma Kempema, meeting Violet for the first time, with an opportunity to “smell heaven”
Last night, Joe’s grandma was called home to be with her Savior, Jesus Christ. After a couple of years of being nearly blind, and a month and a half of being able to only sit up for brief periods, she no longer suffers from any pains of this Earth. I delight in thinking of the amazing day she is having with God in heaven, and an eternity of them to come.
My good friend, Teresa, relayed the story of the day she baptized her daughter 7 years ago. An elderly woman at their church caught a glimpse of her newborn daughter and began to make her way through a sea of people to meet this precious baby. Amid the busyness of a baptism day, Teresa vividly recalls that woman taking a deep breath of the amazing smell that a newborn emanates from her head, and declaring, “That smell, that of a newborn, is certainly the smell of heaven.”
I recounted this story to Grandma Kempema as I brought Violet to her at 2 days old. At that point, Grandma had been laying in her bed for 2 weeks, praying to the Lord to take her home. Grandma had an opportunity to take a deep breath as Violet lay next to her, and for me to witness that, I will be forever grateful.
That was only a breath, and now I think of Grandma having a marvelous day walking the streets of gold, being free from pain and seeing again….seeing, in fact, the face of God. What a marvelous sight.
I can only imagine it took her breath away.
I wish you a blessed Sunday, and I look forward to a week of cherishing the memories of Grandma.
soshemarriedafarmer 