Nick was able to be with his mom and brothers in Indiana to say goodbye to his Dad. But, that meant we needed to wait to tell Hailee Grace until he was able to be there with us. I didn’t want her to worry that Daddy might not be coming home. We’ve been praying about how to tell her (she’s only 2). She knew that Pops was sick and that the rest of us were sad. (Hailee had recently started calling Mike “Pops and Mike”). When we were talking to God together, she would say, “Mommy…Gigi is sad. “Pops and Mike” is sad. Daddy is sad. You’re sad.” Each night we prayed for “Pops and Mike” to get better.

I began talking to friends who had been through this with their little ones and picking up books to help Hailee understand. Mike moved into the presence of the Lord on August 25th, a Thursday afternoon. On Saturday, Hailee and I were running errands. Without prompting and before we told her anything, she said to me, “Mommy, Pops and Mike is sooooo happy! He’s not sick anymore!”

I don’t know exactly how her little heart knew that, but it was absolutely true. I believe the Lord gently whispered it to her. A friend reminded me to take note of this as it’s the first time we can say the Lord spoke to her.

I’m so grateful to be assured of Pops’ salvation and that he was rooted and grounded in his faith. We can grieve with hope that we will see him again and that “He’s not sick anymore!”.

We already miss you so much, Pops, but we are so happy that you’re fully healed and in the presence of the Lord. We love you and can’t wait until we see you again.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

Revelation 21:4-5

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord

2 Corinthians 2:1-8

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 

I Thessalonians 4:13-14