If tolling bell I ask the cause.

"A soul has gone to God."

I'm answered in a lonesome tone;

Is heaven then so sad?

That bells should joyful ring to tell

A soul had gone to heaven,

Would seem to me the proper way

A good news should be given.

Emily Dickinson wrote this poem inviting the reader to give pause when church bells toll.  Generally, those bells are mournfully rung and with distinct pauses between their number.  We can imagine the funeral carriage rolling toward the grave with family and friends behind in solemn procession.  It is our practice to be respectful and purposeful when saying our farewells at death.  The tolling bells  mark an earthly end and we muster all the dignity available to human hearts to pay our respects.  Miss Dickinson is quite economical in the words she pens as she notes the tension between grief and rejoicing.  It is the graciousness of God which permits, even demands, both emotions to live within our hearts at the same time.  Else life be cheap and grief be a pose.  Rest In Peace Darin Curtis.  And Rise In Glory.

Students will be in class this Thursday.  The school year will commence and learning will ensue and, before you know it, we'll be hearing Pomp and Circumstance.  Summer has been a blur.  Labor Day will come and then Halloween and then Christmas.  The days and weeks and months will pass as they always do.  Where does the time go?  Why is it so quickly we grow old and our memories fade?  And in the meantime?  Well, we live.  And we work and play.  We raise our children and plan for retirement.  We march along with all those seconds and minutes inevitably filling them with what makes for life.  As this Summer fades and the Fall takes its place, remember the Psalmist's gentle advice: "So teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom."  (90:12)  The time will pass.  About that we can do nothing.  We can gain a heart of wisdom in this life and it would be a shame if our hearts were to remain empty.

Let your pastor share his happiness and joy and elation with you.  At 11:27pm, July 30th, Audrey Isabelle (our very first grandchild) was born to our eldest son and his wife Keith and Chris.  Audrey weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces and was 19 inches long.  She has more hair than I do.  And she's way cuter; two things likely to be true her entire life.  I'm told being a grand parent changes your life in ways you cannot imagine.  Even after only the first couple of days it's clear I was told the truth.  It's a new kind of feeling to hold Audrey and watch her open her eyes and squirm and purse her lips and...   Well, everything is new and for the first time and I can almost see the future in her eyes.  When she lives into the next century Audrey will be 84 years old with grand kids of her own.  And, oh, the life she will have lived and the changes she will have seen.  And she'll still have more hair and be cuter than her Grandpa Henry.