In the brief telling of “Our Story,” I mentioned that the 5 months caring for Bill were beautiful. How do I even explain? At the realization that Bill was moving, we shifted into preparation mode. Like right now. It’s kinda like when your house sells the day it hits the market. Oh. We have to pack. We have to get ready. Bill began by laying down some non-negotiables.

Our room became a sanctuary.

That meant a few things. For our remaining time together, we avoided outside news from media and from visitors. I guess you could say, we lived in a bubble, and for that bubble time, events of the world, our country, our neighborhood stood aside. If a tidbit tried to sneak in, Bill would gently but firmly trap it. He fixed his mind on Heaven.

That meant TV (usually golf or a show we loved called Drive Through History) without commercials. He diligently controlled the remote and paused or fast-forwarded through ads. He fixed his mind on Heaven.

That meant worshiping top of the morning, reading through Psalms, prayer, confessing selfishness, and forgiveness. If interruption broke the routine, we jumped right back in first chance. Bill drew closer to his Savior and Heaven.

That meant speaking to anyone about Jesus. Charlie, his long time high school buddy. The plumber who restored our hot water in winter. The HVAC man who rescued us from sudden heat in spring. All the hospice care folks. Each one heard the gospel and left covered in a prayer for God’s mercy. He determined to fill up God’s kingdom — Heaven.

But the most significant item Bill packed was a brand new understanding of Heaven itself. He requested, and we obtained, a copy of Heaven by Randy Alcorn for the bedside table and digitally for both of our phones. Our evening ritual included reading a portion of this book. Sometimes a revelation dawned, and we repeated a passage, for clarity. Sometimes we simply soaked in the implications. Heaven, according to scripture, cannot be fully comprehended, and so we pondered our new knowledge. We both grew very excited. Bill was fully packed. Fully prepared for Heaven.

As it turned out, we finished the book the day before Bill moved. Since then, I have recommended it and am re-reading it myself. Someday I will behold this amazing eternal place beside Bill. I’m preparing for Heaven too.