Carla Kay Thompson

It’s just not fair…I have just learned that three handsome young men have just lost their beloved mother, Carla Thompson, to cancer. Carla and I go way back, in fact we met each as newlyweds and discovered that we would always be able to celebrate our anniversaries together since we had been married on the same day. Our oldest children had been born within days of each other and we spent many hours around the pool throughout the years, talking and laughing as the children grew older. We also played an occasional game of tennis, more for the fun and companionship than for the competition of the sport.

Carla was much too young to die at only 58 years of age. But not only that, she had suffered more than her share during her lifetime. Her first husband, Vic, died in his early forties, leaving her to finish raising her sons and then the cancer invaded her body.  

As I write this, I have a sadness in my soul. It is not because I have to wonder what Carla’s final destination would be, because I know faith in Jesus was a part of her life. My sadness is a selfish thing; it is because I realize that although her death came too soon and robbed her of precious time, this is something that will inevitably become more and more commonplace in my life as I grow older and other people I care about leave their temporary bodies. Although I long to be at home with the Lord, I also enjoy this life and the pleasures it brings including friends and fellowship. Carla’s death reinforces the fact that life is short and death is certain, so it must be lived to the fullest with no regrets, because we don’t get a second chance or even an extension. 

It has been many years since I have lived in Fort Worth and therefore way too long since seeing Carla and others that I cherish in that city. It is something that I regret, but the things I will be able to hold onto and reflect upon are the fond recollections of times gone by. Forever in my memory will be Carla’s smile, the twinkle in her eyes, her kind ways, and her genuine friendship. Farewell my friend.

Psalm 39:4-5 “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.”

www.hearthope.org