The Holy Spirit -- The Comforter

Tuesday night, my dad's mother passed away. She was 90 and was put in the hospital shortly after I got out. She was admitted with bronchitis. My grandmother lived with congestive heart failure. Only 10% of her heart worked over the past 10 years. Daddy said no one asked about donating her organs because she had worn them out to the point they had tread marks on them.

The next morning I made my second outing after my surgery. It was to go with my family back to Live Oak to tell my Mammaw and Ms Barkley, my grandma's dearest friend. Mammaw took it well. She is one who takes it in and processes it. I'll check on her in a couple of days, but when my daddy, Lori and I arrived at Ms Barkley's door, she knew immediately and began sobbing. I had my arm around her waist as Lori said the words, as if I had the strength to catch her if she fell. Thankfully, we got her back to her bed where she continued to sob. This 96 year-old woman who rarely let's anyone behind her wall had allowed my meek grandmother in, and now Ms Barkley's heart was breaking. When she composed herself some, she said the night before Grandma came to her and gave her a hug and just held her. Ms Barkley said she knew then that she had died.

This happens a lot with older folks especially husband and wives who have been married forever it seems. My grandma use to say she would see Dan (my grandfather) sometimes right before bed and would kiss him goodnight. She would say that it seemed so real.

I think sometimes we quickly dismiss these statements due to the age of the party which spoke them because we think they must not be all there. Let me assure you, Ms Barkley even at 96 is more acutely aware and cognizant than I am most days, and her vision came to her before anyone had even told her. Instead of thinking these people are delusional or that their minds are playing tricks on them in some instances I'd like to think it's the Holy Spirit taking on the role as Comforter. And why isn't that possible? Isn't anything possible with God? Do you think that a God who loved us so much to send His only Son to die for us would love us enough to send the Comforter in whatever fashion or form is required? Keep in mind, I'm not saying every instance is a sign of the Comforter because hallucinations and dementia exists, but what I am saying is the next time someone tells you they were visited, had a vision, had a dream that a loved one visited them, why can't you praise God for sending the Comforter, the Holy Spirit?

It's just a thought. It's something that has been laid on my heart.