PROMOTED TO GLORY

I was making coffee at Church this morning, prior to the English class, when I received a phone call from Graham, Keith’s son, to say that his Dad had died peacefully last night at about 8 o’clock.  

Although we are not Salvationists, I said to Graham that his Dad was now “Promoted to Glory” and I think he was surprised that I knew the term used in the Salvation Army for someone who has died.  He said he wanted to ring me/us as he said we had been kind enough to visit Keith and he didn’t just want us to see this on an email or text message.  I told Graham it had been a real privilege to visit Keith and we had so enjoyed being with him.  I rang Mr. HCB before I went into the class to give him the news and said that I would see him at lunchtime.

Driving home, I thought it would be a good idea for us to go out for lunch - so rang to book a table as soon as I got in.  Mr. HCB said that he had been watching cricket on the television this morning and thinking of Keith and all the good times they had had together over the years.  He thought it was a great idea to go out for lunch and in fact, Keith had said to us not long before Christmas that he would treat us to lunch, as he did every year, because he was very grateful that Mr. HCB had been kind enough to drive him to cricket all last season.  This obviously won’t happen again, so we have been out together instead and reminisced about Keith, cricket, and all those who would miss him.  

Thank you to everyone who has kindly supported us through these last few weeks - I guess we all know we have to go one day, but it hits hard when it’s a special friend and Keith was a very special man.  We are thankful that he has been a good friend to both of us over the years and even more to Mr. HCB, who will miss him terribly - and although I don’t pretend to know much about cricket, I have said that I am willing to go and sit with him when the cricket season starts again - and probably as Keith did, wander off for a while!  

I took this shot just after we got home when the sun shone through the clouds just for a few minutes - long enough for us to see an opening and to show us that Keith has indeed been “Promoted to Glory”.

“His loved ones are very precious to him, 
     and he does not lightly let them die.”
Psalm 116:15 The Living Bible

P.S.  I have put in an extra of Mr. HCB and Keith about to demolish eat one of the meals Keith had treated us to.