"It is the Christmas time;
"And up and down 'twixt heaven and earth--
"In glorious grief and solemn mirth,
"The shining angels climb"
The words of this poem caught my eye this evening. I wouldn't have thought much about it usually, other than to note it was a beautiful quote and file it away for some use later on. But today, somehow, the words of this poem gripped me inside and wouldn't leave my mind. It was if they seemed to mirror my deepest thoughts and feelings at that very moment.
You see, just that morning I had heard about the tragic disaster that had befallen the dear children of the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. The news broke my heart and the tears flowed freely from eyes. How many mothers would not hold their babies in their arms again, nor feel the warmth of their little bundles of joy pressed against them? How many fathers will not have the adorning eyes of their children upon them, nor their have the joy of their soft embrace anymore? How many empty bedrooms would there be tonight in the houses of those whose joy and happiness had been snuffed out in a moment?
As I wept for the sorrow of these hurting families and as I prayed for their comfort and healing, the words of this poem drifted through my head once more. Moved, I began to write:
"Glorious grief and solemn mirth.
A mixture of sorrow and joy.
For there is much sorrow in the world, where they descend as messengers, helpers, guides.
And joy, for there is much joy in Heaven—their eternal home … and ours.
They carry in their arms, as they ascend this Christmas, more than the aroma of praises and prayers.
They carry children, who rise from this world into the enduring arms of a Father who will never let them go.
Children who were loved, wanted, cherished—yet whose lives ended in tragedy.
Too soon.
Yet now they are held. Loved. Safe and secure.
Now they are in a place where no pain or sorrow will ever enter and grab hold of them again.
They are Home.
Waiting to welcome those who loved them and cared for them in this life, with open arms.
It is their first Christmas in Heaven, where all they will know is glorious mirth forever more.
Now in the arms of shining angels, and ever in the hearts of those who love them."
Hope forever lives on in spite of this tragedy, for though the little lives of these children may have been snuffed out for a time, they are not lost. No, they live on forever more in the arms of the angels in their eternal Home in Heaven--forever free from sadness, pain, hurt, and evil. They now abide in the bosom of their Heavenly Father, Who cares for them as His own.
And one day, all will be reunited together in Heaven. Mothers will hold their babies once more; fathers will embrace their children again; homes will be filled with happiness and joy for eternity! This life is not the end--all hope is not lost. There is a better Tomorrow coming!--and it will be here soon. Love will conquer all; all will be made right; and we all will be together again--for eternity!
