April 9

Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus—and He disappeared from their sight. — Luke 24:31 BSB

Anniversaries always bring back memories of those who have passed away. Every family has lost a beloved face. If your loved ones died in Christ, the message of Easter lifts the veil and shows them to you beyond death, unharmed by it, still living, the same kind souls you knew and loved.

I recently received a letter from a dear friend who is traveling abroad in search of health. As I read it, the bright words reminded me of my friend’s beautiful spirit—still warm, thoughtful, and full of life, just as before. “Just like my friend!” I said, as I finished reading. Being in a foreign country has not changed him.

It’s the same with our loved ones in heaven. My father and mother are there. If I were to go to my eternal home today, I know I would find them unchanged. The cares they once carried have either vanished or been transfigured into beauty. They no longer have their earthly bodies, but those frail bodies were never the essence of who they were. Death did not destroy the beauty within them. I would find them alive, living in even richer life, engaged in the same loving acts as when they were on earth.