I Closed my Eyes
That night, when Emily was getting ready for bed, she reflected on the story she told today. The time she spent living with Robert was hard for her and often made her wonder if the feelings she felt for him were the same feelings her mother had. Rachel often told her daughter that she loved Robert. Emily loved him too, but it hurt to be near him because those sad times would be relived and she and her dad would both part feeling sorry for the way things ended. Finally, she lied down in her bed, closed her eyes, and began drifting off to sleep.
Emily found herself standing in a desert oasis. There were tall palm trees, small shrubs, and a clear lake. She placed her hand in the water to feel how cool it was. Then a voice gently called her name. "Emily."
She stood up and looked past the plants behind her. There was a woman clad in white robes with chocolate brown hair reaching down her waist and round framed glasses over her dark brown eyes. It was Rachel. "Mama?" Emily asked. "Mama," she cries and runs up to her. She hugs her mother and begins sobbing. "I miss you so much."
"I know," Rachel says, holding her. "I miss you too."
"I'd give anything just to be held by you like this and never be let go," said Emily. "I just want to see your smile, hear your voice, have conversations with you, spend time with you, be back in your arms and feel the warmth of your embrace. I miss all of it, the good times we shared and even the bad."
"So do I," Rachel returned. "And one day, the time will come when we will get to experience all of that again. Only there won't be any more bad times to live through; only good times. And we won't have to cry for any reason anymore either; only laugh, smile, and rejoice. That is part of the Lord's promise. Where I am, Emily, is a world without pain, without hate, without violence, without sin. That is where I am waiting. That is where we are promised to meet again. But you must wait a little longer as well before we can be together again."
The blonde sniffles and replies, "But I don't know how."
"Trust in the Lord," advised Rachel. "Trust in His promise as you live your life. You still have a lot to live for, Emily; a lot to learn, a lot to share, and a lot to love. All that will make living your life worthwhile and that will make all the wait worthwhile as well."
"I'll try," Emily promised. "But I don't want to keep you waiting."
"You won't be," Rachel promised. "In Heaven, we have eternity and can never grow tired or bored. So I will never become tired of waiting and I will never give up on you. But on Earth, you only have a lifetime and that is very limited. And it is important that you keep living the life you have on Earth until we can be together again."
Emily released her mother. "You say you're waiting for me, yet I am the one who needs to be patient."
"Yes," her mother replied. "Trust in Him and live your life. I know you will continue to have challenges and hardships, but I promise you, they will be worth it. Because it is also part of His promise that those who face their life struggles will be promised their reward in the Kingdom of the Lord."
Emily was trying to make sense of what her mother was implying. It was true that the blonde would have many hardships and challenges to come in her life, but they would be important to her because she would learn from them. She would learn about what it would mean to have faith, to trust in someone; especially God and His promises. As such, facing her challenges and learning from them would make living her life worthwhile. And it would be just as worthwhile sharing all of her experiences with her loved ones here on Earth and them sharing their own experiences as well.
Besides, ending her life quickly wouldn't accomplish anything. Haste would not reunite her with her mother or grant her access to Heaven. That would mean she had lived her life in vain and not learned anything about all the good there was in the world and that she had no faith. As such, Rachel is right. Living her life is the right way for her daughter to go about it and will help to grow in faith.
Finally, Emily responded, "Okay, Mom. I'll try, but there will still be times when I'll miss you and want you."
Rachel embraces her daughter once more and tells her, "I know. Just remember, Emily, I'm always with you."
The scene fades into light and Emily opens her eyes and finds herself in her bed again. "That dream again," she whispers to herself. No, it was more than just a dream. Her mother had answered her call. The first time was when Emily prayed and said how much she missed her mother and wanted her. When she calmed down and fell asleep, that was when she first had the dream. Now she had the dream again as she thought about Rachel. She thought about what her mother said in the dream and wondered if the dream was also a message from the Lord; if He sent her to remind Emily not to give up hope and to remember His promise. Emily also knew that her mother was waiting for her and wanted to be with her again as well.
Emily looked out her window and looked at the sky. "Mom says she's waiting, but I'm the one who needs to be patient. That's because she's right. As much as I want to be together again with Mom, I'm not ready yet. There's still a lot I have to do before she and I can be together again." She turned over, hoping to go back to sleep.