October 26th - collapse for a day of rest.
October 27th - Memorial Service for dear friend Bob Myers in morning. He passed away quietly in his sleep. Bob's wife, Loretta and Mary Ann had been good friends, brought together at Church by her incredible Granddaughter Emily. Loretta passed away in 2004, 3 months before Mary Ann did. Here's the letter that 7 yr old Emily wrote to me when Mary Ann died.
When Mary Ann died, Bob was still pretty much a basket case, but he was three months less of a basket case than I was and he was a major inspiration that helped me through the initial grieving. And Emily was there every Sunday hugging and loving on me. She was, and still is, an incredibly Faith filled young lady and it's a major Blessing to have her in my life.
Bob and Loretta had moved from Baltimore to Roanoke because their Emily and her brother, Andrew were here and his passing will leave a huge void in their lives. On top of the loss of their Grandpa, their recently separated Mom is struggling with her new life as a single parent with a difficult ex-spouse. I took the kids out for Pizza before I went to New England. And we all went to a Christian Motorcycle Association skate party last Monday. Carol (the Mom) and I have talked on the phone for hours and we're now sitting together at Church, taking turns crying depending on the Hymns that are played.
They've found a place in my heart that feels like I have a new family. I hope that I have been some help to them during this hard time.
God is still providing me with Blessings. Emily and Andrew came to Church with Bob and Loretta. So I didn't know Carol. I called her to offer to take the kids for an afternoon or evening and we talked for about 3 hours. My motive was simply to try and return some of the love I'd received from the kids at my time of need. And God Blessed me with so much more than I've given.
As I've said here before,
My favorite Meister Eckhart quote is:
“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, 'thank you,' that would suffice”.
And as the publisher of "Tinkerbell Jerusalem" says, all that is required to develop Belief is "SUPA" - "Show Up and Pay Attention". If you do, you'll see God at work in your life.
I see reasons to say, "Thank You." every day. And the more I say, "Thank You.", the more reasons I see and the stronger my Faith grows.
Life really is good.
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