The Last Breath

I certainly didn’t want to stay long. I thought John would pray with them for a while and then we would leave so they could say goodbye to Kevin in private.   The family didn’t have much time left with Kevin.  

John and I had just returned home from the funeral of my Aunt Bonnie.  She was my dad's sister and after a lengthy illness passed away at age 81.  

After the funeral, my brother Billy had gotten word that Kevin had become unresponsive. 

It had only been about a month since Kevin was diagnosed.  Cirrhosis of the liver.  It was bad from the beginning.  He was now in hospice.
Kevin had done a lot of drinking in his lifetime.  And now he was dying.

Kevin Evans and his six siblings grew up across the street from my family in Bloomfield.  There were six of us and seven of them and no more than 200 feet from our front door to theirs.   Kevin was the youngest. His sister Sandra was my age and Lorraine was just a year older.  Dwayne was Billy's age. We were all friends. Even our mom's were friends. Growing up I spent countless hours at the Evan's house.  Many of my childhood memories are with that family on Carroll Street.

  

Over the years we have all stayed connected through many joys and sorrows. 

But the Evans family has certainly had more than their share of sorrows:

Their dad had died at age 45 when Kevin was only a baby.  And Sandra died suddenly seven years ago at age 45. Then just three years after that, their cousin Shawn was tragically killed. He was 54 years old.  

My brother Gary called.  After the funeral, he and Billy went to the hospice center to see Kevin.  He said Kevin's brother, Brian was asking if John would come up and pray with the family.  John had visited Kevin a few times in the hospital.  He shared the love of Christ with him and prayed with him.  So without hesitation we got ourselves together and hurried to the hospice which was just a few minutes away. 
 
Shortly after we arrived, everyone gathered around Kevin's bedside.  Then, holding hands and with tears we bowed our heads and John prayed.  Our hearts were joined as John prayed for comfort, for peace and for Kevin to go gently into the arms of Jesus.     

  With the heaviest hearts, and the deepest love, we prayed and cried. 

   And in the name of Jesus we all said "Amen." and lifted our heads. 

 And Kevin was gone.  Just like that.  His labored breathing had stopped and his soul had left us.   

He was 45 years old.

 Quiet, choking sobs and long tearful hugging followed as his family realized yet another devastating loss.  Another sibling.  Another child.  Another loved one. 

I had never experienced anything like that before.  

The only comfort I find in it all is imagining them all together now. Their dad, Sandra, and Shawn greeting Kevin.  Each one of them smiling, rejoicing, as he arrived in heaven, whole and well again.

Made perfect in Christ for all eternity.   

 I truly believe Kevin heard our prayers. I believe he knew his dear mother, his sister and four brothers were with him.  He didn’t need anything more.  He was where he wanted to be.  Surrounded by his loving family as they prayed him straight into the arms of Jesus.

"For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed,

we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, 

not built by human hands"  2Corinthians 5:1