When the Days Run Out

A man’s days are numbered. 

You know the number of his months. 

He cannot live longer than the time You have set.

~Job 14:5

The past six months have been so life changing. In October, my husband applied for several jobs outside of New Mexico. In November, he accepted a position with a company in northern California. In December, we packed up our house and life and moved from Albuquerque, NM to California. In January, we began our new life here - renting a house, starting a new school (for the booger), figuring out life in the new place, and adapting to the new culture. In February, we pretty much rested, with a quick, but fun trip back to NM for the Booger's birthday. 

We headed into March with confidence that life would start to settle for us. That we would finally embrace being more than displaced New Mexicans living in the lush greenness of Northern California. We were going to embrace California and move on with life, settling into our new home. And then we got a horrific call early one morning at the beginning of March - my father-in-law had passed away back in NM. 

I felt out of control of my life for the last six months as is, but what ensued those following hours after learning of his death was complete chaos. What were we supposed to do? How were we to get back home? How did he die? Why did this happen? Why now?????

We bought a one-way ticket to New Mexico and spent the majority of the month back there mourning my father-in-law and handling his estate. There were days of complete sadness and distress, and then there were days of celebration and victory. My father-in-law was a man of  God. He drank up the Lord's word just as Jesus invites us to, as living water, sustaining to life. I am not sad for him - I know he is fishing with the Lord. I am just so sad that I will not have all the days I had hope we would have with him. Of all the things we had left to do. I don't think we are ever ready for our loved ones to leave us, and I certainly was not ready for my father-in-law to leave us. 

In our culture, in-laws are often the villains.  Society seems to expect a tension between the spouse and the in-law. I was so blessed to not have this be the case between my father-in-law and me. He became a dad to me, and I became his daughter. I am going to miss him tremendously, but I am SO grateful for the time I got with him. 

~Carmelita