In the midst of her dementia, the purity and simplicity of Teckla’s faith makes familiar truths as sharp as a newly forged sword. She has good and bad days. One morning this week she was troubled by a lot of confusion. Teckla asked, “When are we going home?” I explained that we now live with Dylan and Vanessa in Gardner, Kansas. By the time breakfast was over, she remembered my name and that I am her husband. But she was still restless, putting on her coat and grabbing her purse.
We begin each day reading Scripture and then singing three or four hymns and some worship songs off YouTube. Those deprived of the rich tradition of hymns might not know that the verses of hymns often move through the gospel truths of God saving us, keeping us, and then resurrecting us to be with Him eternally. Teckla and I ended our devotions by holding hands and praying together.
After we had finished praying, Teckla turned to me and said, with a catch in her voice, “Shouldn’t we be getting ready?” I thought she was still thinking about driving home to Myrtle Point or something. I explained we had no place we needed to go today. She said, “I don’t mean that.” As is often true these days, she struggled to find the words to express her thoughts. She finally said, “Like in the songs we sung.”
This baffled me until with tears in her eyes Teckla said, “Ready for heaven.” She had her coat and purse and was ready to go. I explained that we would probably be here a while longer. With some sadness, she slowly said, “Okay.”
A thousand sermons could not have made heaven as real as Teckla did. Something about her grabbing her purse and coat pierced my heart like a spring wind filled the fragrance of heaven. I felt a quiet thrill at the nearness of the Lord. I wanted to grab my coat too.
