The Wife of My 75-Year-Old First Cousin Has Passed Away (published 10-31-2020)

George Ferrell was an older brother of my father, Earl Ferrell. Dad and Uncle George are now both at their everlasting home. Uncle George and his wife, Aunt Blanche, who is also at heavenly rest, had three sons, my first cousins. Waymon, one of their sons, is 15 years older than me.

Sadly, Waymon's wife, Mary Ruth, left this world on Sunday, 10/11/2020. I haven’t seen my first cousin, Waymon, since 2012, in Johnson City, Tennessee. His elder brother, he, and I met together at the apartment where their mother, Aunt Blanche, was still living. Aunt Blanche enjoyed seeing two of her sons and me at the same time! Aunt Blanche passed on the following year. My two first cousins and I had lunch together after visiting their mother. Since then, I have spoken with Waymon a few times by phone. He lives about a 1.75-hour drive northeast of us in Kingsport, Tennessee.

I left a memorial tribute to his wife on the obituary page of the funeral home’s website. My wife and I couldn’t attend the visitation and funeral service or the graveside service, since they both fell on workdays.

On Sunday, 10/18/2020, I called Waymon. We talked for about 45 minutes. His two brothers live in the area. The sons of his wife and him and their families all live a few hours' drive away from him. Waymon is enduring the grief of losing his wife, whom he loved dearly. I remember how my father endured the grieving process after my mother “went to see Jesus,” as she stated that she wanted to do, before she passed away.

I do not wish to speculate about the future departures from this temporal life for Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and me. The Good Lord knows how and when. It is better that we do not know.

Life is a slow transition from birth to death. From an everlasting perspective, temporal life is a blink of an eye while we live on this speck of dust called Earth. The slow transition continues. Temporal life includes good, bad, and ugly events, with an apology to Clint Eastwood. If we accept the Good Lord’s free gift offer of everlasting salvation through his Son and if we live accordingly by faith, then our everlasting home in heaven awaits us! My first cousin’s wife, like many others, has arrived at that everlasting rest before us, who remain here.

Mary Ruth must be having a wonderful time at her everlasting home. Eventually, it will be my turn, but not today, as far as I know.