Life after death?

Richard died today.
There could only have been one reason for a phone call at 7.10am from Anne. Well, something terrible might have happened to one the children, but apart from Rachel in London two of them were tucked up in bed below my room, and Jonnie was apparently fast asleep. No, the only reason was to tell me that Richard had died.
We have been expecting it, and indeed praying for a timely release. His massive stroke had left him densely paralysed and needing constant nursing care.
When I arrived shortly after, Anne, Barbara, Steven and Margaret were already there. Richard was lying, looking peaceful, in his bed. I lent over to close his eyes and silently blessed him with the touch.
Richard has been a great man. He presided over our wedding and had spent all his life serving his flock, his congregation. He was a Yorkshire man through and through and had ended up in Manchester to be with his daughters, after he retired. He enhanced the lives of all he touched, and even in his last illness showed strength that few could have managed with dignity and humour. Richard, despite our divorce, was my father-in-law.
Now he was dead, and everyone feels a mixture of sadness and relief. There were funny moments too, like when Steve thought he'd better let the minister know who was coming round to share communion. A certain Reverend Mutton. So at about 7.45 he made the phone call. Only he dialed the wrong number. An Asian voice replied most emphatically that he definitely was NOT the Reverend Mutton!
Then the police arrived.
The police. Why? 'It's just procedure'. It was not procedure. It was a cock up. There was no need for them to have been called, but once called they had to investigate the case. It had been 'an unexpected dead'. 'Unexpected? He's been there about a year' gasped the attending mourners. We had to make sure the death certificate was issued before midday or he would have to be taken to the hospital mortuary pending a postmortem. Utter madness. Well fortunately we got someone to do the death certificate, or I would have done it myself.
Coincidentally, I had been to another 'Apologetics' meeting last Saturday, just four days before. The subject that day was 'Did Christ rise from the dead?'. I thought I'd give them another chance. I'm glad I did. The talk started unpromisingly with a young doctor, being, as young doctors often are, a bit too medical. 'Yes we know you're a doctor' I wanted to say, but as the talk progressed he got better. Although some of the 'proof' and 'rebuttals' were a little spurious, I came to realise that even this audience were not inclined to believe in the resurrection of the physical body of Jesus. The new, heavenly body of Jesus was clearly different, since the women at the grave and the travellers to Emaeus didn't recognise him at first, but it was none the less him. It does seem difficult not to believe that something extraordinary happened to convince so many, at different times, that He had actually returned to them, albeit in a different physical form.
I don't know for sure, but I am happy to believe that Christ's Being returned to His followers in His heavenly body. The worst this can be is a benign delusion. But if it's true?
Well if it's true, well then we'll be seeing Richard again soon enough. So goodbye for now Richard, and God bless.