So now we know why Jay slept so much yesterday. It must have been in anticipation of a long journey. At 1:50 this morning, with Amy, Stef and me gathered around him, our little Jaybirdie took his last breath on this earth and then headed home to Heaven to receive his Crown of Life.

Sunday night I got to spend the night downstairs with Jay. Amy and Stef were too exhausted to spend another night with him, making sure he got his meds when needed. At first we decided that we would just go to sleep and he would wake me when he needed something. Before he turned the TV off, I could hear him counting; hours, half hours and quarter hours. I got up and asked him what he was doing. He was trying to figure out what time the preset sleep timers on the TV would shut it off, to wake him up when his next meds were due. As long as we were both still up, I asked what he wanted to do. In his best Donkey voice he told me, “We can stay up all night, swapping manly stories. And in the morning, I’m makin’ waffles!” We traded some nonsense about nothing before we really started talking.

I asked if there was anything he wanted to do with the rest of his life. “Get better and be like I was before” was his response, “But I don’t think that is going to happen.” I had to agree that it was not likely. I asked if it bothered him to talk about death and dying and he told me that he figured that he was going to die eventually. “I just hope that God will take me while I’m sleeping” he added. “I know that my soul will go to heaven as soon as I die.” he told me. “I just wonder if time there will be like it is here and I’ll have to wait a long time to see everyone again, or if it will just be like a flash and we’ll all be together.” I told him that he would probably be too amazed at everything and everybody he will see when he gets there that he won’t have time to think about us.

We wondered together what heaven would be like. The Bible speaks of streets of gold and rivers of glass. To stand in the very presence of God, with all of the angels around; what a feeling that will be! We talked about all the famous people in the Bible that Jay would know. Abraham, whose incredible faith allowed him to take his long-awaited son Isaac out to offer him as a sacrifice to God, just because God told him to. (We both had to admit that we didn’t believe we would be able to do that with our sons.) Adam, Noah, Samuel, David and Solomon were added to our list. We talked about Lazarus. How long did he live after being brought back to life by Jesus? Finally Jay added Joshua. I didn’t ask him why he thought Joshua was so special, but the days ahead will be a good time to re-read my Bible to see if I can figure out the connection.

Together we wondered if Jay will be able to see the nail holes in Jesus’ feet and hands. Since He ascended into Heaven in His earthly state, will He remain that way until the resurrection when we ALL receive our glorified bodies? Jay reminded me then, “Don’t forget, there will be a new Heaven and a new Earth after the Resurrection.” I asked him if he thought the new earth would have to be bigger or smaller than this one. Guess that depends on how many people who have lived and are still living that have come to the knowledge of Jesus and what He did to save all people, and have believed it.

I asked Jay what he wanted his friends to remember about him. “I was an athlete and I had fun. I was smart and I had a good family.” he told me. “And I was built in my faith.”

Last night, between waking and sleeping Jay said something that sounded like “I’m ready.” I asked him to repeat what he’d just said and he told me “I’m READY!” I asked him what he was ready for and he just drifted back to sleep.

Isn’t it amazing how God gives each of us exactly what we need, just when we need it?

Mike