Precious Memories

What is the correct way to process the death of a young person?  This weekend is one that I never thought I would have to experience.  Early yesterday morning, around 2:30, my cousin Isaac Gastineau went to Heaven to forever be with Jesus.  I like to think of myself as a smart person but it is during times like these that I fear what I don't know and what I can't explain. I fear exactly what Isaac was brave enough and lucky enough to push through. Isaac has taught me many things that I believe was part of God's plan for his life.  The past few months and especially the past few days, I have learned things that I think only Isaac's experience could have taught me.  Isaac taught me the value of a life.  As us cousins grew older and our lives got busier, it was not uncommon for us to only see each other but once, maybe twice a year.  But I realize now how special those times were.  Isaac brought a certain joy into my life that no other soul could fill.  He was never scared, or at least never let on to be.  Isaac taught me how important family is.  The past few days have been filled with emotions and sadness, but they have also been filled with family.  Isaac brought us together.  It is Isaac's memory that keeps us smiling and keeps us rejoicing.  So is it wrong to be sad and filled with questions directed at God's intentions?  I don't think so.  But should we let that sadness and those questions fill our hearts and minds?  Isaac's life has answered that question for me. No.  The precious memories I have of Isaac will be impossible for me to forget or hide away.  Now, it is time for myself and every other person that Issac's life has touched to store those memories away in the mind's scrapbook. It is time for us to remember the good times and the bad.  Memory is one of our greatest gifts as humans. This is another trait that sets us a part from the rest of God's creation.  God reminds us everyday that nothing is permanent. So it is with thanksgiving and gratitude that I will cherish my ability to remember.  And I will remember Isaac. And I will remember the joy he carried around with him every day of his life.  I will remember all the funny stories and the sad stories.  Because I think that is what Isaac would want.  He would want us to remember him; to remember him with smiles on our faces.  So from today on, I will fill up the empty jar Isaac left behind with the memories he would want me to carry into the future.  I will remember.