Today, I found myself thinking about of all my loved ones who have gone on before me, and those thoughts made me a little sad.  I was listening to a song on the radio, and I can't even remember the name of the song, but it triggered something in my brain that brought up thoughts of my sister, my dad, and my mom.  They left me in that order.  My sister, who was my best friend and confidant died at the age of 32.  My dad, with his strength and skillful hands as a master carpenter and the backbone of our family, died at the age of 73.  My mom, with all of her infinite wisdom, and love that she poured into her children and husband died at the age of 92.  They are so missed in my life.  Later, I began to think of ways to bring solace to that moment and my mind went to the scriptures. I found these comments from Christian writer Vivian Bickers as she expounds on the Psalmist in Psalm 103:15-16:  

"The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more."  "Ms. Bickers explains that the Psalmist speaks truth about the brevity of life and how our earthly life is short compared to eternity."  She goes on to say that "Each human being's life is as short as a flower that gets blown away and is remembered no more, but remembering this truth in our daily life, will affect how we live. Each day could be our very last on earth, and we should make it count. Our lives are meant to be lived in service to God. Our lives are as quick as the rising up as a flower or as quick as a fleeting shadow (Psalm 144:4).  Finally, Ms. Bickers encourages us by saying, "Rather than causing feelings of anxiety or worry, Christians need to understand that this very day could be our last day on earth; knowing this should lead us to motivation and the desire to serve God every day of our lives." My moment of sadness was gone, because "The joy of the Lord is my Strength."