In Memoriam: Mr. Z

On Saturday evening, news reached me that the husband of one of my dearest friends on the web passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. Due to Mr. AOW's circumstances, today is the first opportunity I've had to write a posting.

Mr. Z, a wonderful man whom the Lord now holds in the palm of His hand, made his wife's life complete. I know this fact because Z centered her life around him. The flower the Lily of the Valley, pictured on the upper left of this blog post, represents "You've Made My Life Complete." Indeed, Mr. Z made Z's life complete!

Nothing prepares us for the loss of our mate. Nothing.

The words we offer will be heard in a haze of shock. That shock takes a lifetime to recover from — if indeed one can call the process recovery. The world really does stop for a long while.

May the Lord comfort Z, whom I consider my dear friend. May He strengthen her in every way.

May the Lord use us, Z's friends, many of whom have never met either Mr. or Mrs. Z face to face, as a means of comfort and solace. May He guide her to call upon us her friends whenever she needs to do so.

May the Lord give my dear friend Z the sure and certain knowledge that, one day, she and her beloved Mr. Z will reunite for all eternity.