This morning I heard a restaurant and bar situated by one of the legendary golf courses was closing this month. Normally something like this wouldn’t mean a thing to me. But this one triggered memories. My hubby was the owner of a small wholesale meat business and this place was one of his customers. I remember how during the Memorial Tournament, hubby would work into the late hours to keep up with the demand.

My hubby was a hard-working man who cared about having integrity with his customers, and he had a great personality to be his own salesperson. He was a people person and never met a stranger. The business was just a small speck on a map filled with large wholesalers. But his name was known and his reputation was spectacular. Word of mouth was his greatest marketing tool.

Looking back at the memories, I thanked God for calling him home before the pandemic hit. I realize this was an unappreciated blessing. Our lives would have been tortuous during these past few years. His heart and lungs were too weak and diseased to handle being sick with COVID.

Losing a loved one is a difficult time in our lives. With faith, we learn to move on through the grief to a different stage of life. Rarely do we look at the death as a blessing. Even when our loved ones might have been very ill. Their absence leaves an irreplaceable void that only God can heal. Yet, this morning God showed me the blessing in my hubby’s absence. It doesn’t change anything in my life by knowing this, but I can smile and say “thank You, Lord.”