We Reap What We Sow...

Two days ago I attended a funeral.  Barb was 92 years old. People from all ages, from the very young -  to a few of her peers - to all ages in between, came. Friends, family, friends from across the country, about 30 of them traveled to come, past co-workers, church family, care givers, all filled the pews. How is it that at 92 that a life could still touch so many? Approximately 200+ came to bid their final farewell to this special lady.

I’ve been pondering the question I posed in the above paragraph for the past 48 hours.  For me, as I pondered, these are some of the choices that Barb made, amongst many others unbeknownst to me, that allowed her life to touch so many.

Love and Kindness...Her life radiated these attributes.  She had a heart for so many. She loved the children, she loved their parents, and she loved their grandparents.  

Adoption...Because Barb was never married, her and her sister, throughout life adopted many into their lives as their “children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc…” and treated many as their own. Barb was a mother to many, and because she was not cumbered with the cares of her own husband or children she could freely shower upon those she adopted an abundant amount of time, energy, wisdom, love, patience, and kindness.

Non-Partial...Barb, and her sister Ruth, also displayed an amazing ability to love and accept you for who you were, not for who you weren’t .  They had high expectations for all, but embraced you when you succeeded and when you failed. They had their ideals of what was best for you, but when other choices were made contrary to this, their love was constant and unwavering.

Godly...At a young age she choose to give her life for the Lord.  Her example of faith throughout all the trials and joys of her life was a constant reminder of the faithfulness of her God that she loved and served each day.  Even as her body became more feeble, the efforts she made, and the efforts her sister put forth to give Barb the privilege of coming to church at this “feeble” time of her life was remarkable.  The Bible was her roadmap for her life. Taking the time to read scriptures with her when she was no longer able to on her own, was a gift you gave yourself and her. It guided her, calmed her, and proved to her the unwavering companionship of God, Jesus, and the the Holy Spirit.

Smile and Appreciation...She shared her smile readily with others.  Life wasn’t always easy, and as she grew older, pain was a constant companion, but yet, usually a smile dressed her face.  She was human, she had her good days, and not so good days, but if the smile seemed less bright, she would still be able to speak of her thankfulness and appreciation for you as her friend, in whatever way you her life intertwined.  

Singing...If you came to visit Barb, and she was having a “bad” day, and you offered to sing to her, you could almost guarantee a beautiful smile.  She never used a book, but she seemed to know every word and would sing right along with you. The last time I went to visit Barb, she was in ICU, and had been given less than 24 hours to live.  When I walked in my dad said, “She’s asking us to sing.” The group that was gathered around her bedside right then, we will just say, “were not an ‘ideal’ group of singers” to make a glorious melody.  But, as one visitor put it, “Barb, because it’s you, we’ll sing, not anyone else could get me to do this.” And so, together we lifted our voices and made a joyful noise unto the Lord. A small smile appeared on her face, her body visibly relaxed, and she contentedly mouthed the words as we sang, ‘Trust and Obey’ and ‘The Old Rugged Cross’.  As the final words of the chorus were sung, “And I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down. I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown”, we all knew soon that these words for her would become a reality.

I’m thankful that I was one of those who both Barb and Ruth adopted as family.  I’m looking at the list of attributes that just flowed from my mind, and I am inspired to keep striving on to apply these more readily in my life.  Not one of them cost anything in dollars. Nope, just a conscious choice to show kindness, share a smile, shower love, give the gift of acceptance to individuals, be God fearing,  faithful… If we do, as we continue on in this life, we too, will have the joy and opportunity to have our hearts pews full of friends, family, adopted family, co-workers, etc that we will touch along our life's journey to that Eternal Home.