I had an interesting conversation about classroom management with my daughter today. While some teachers are very tolerant of classroom “chatter”, she is not. It’s a distraction for her and makes her a less than effective teacher. It’s simply a matter of style.
I have discovered the same thing about myself. I have a high need for order and quiet and a low tolerance for controversy, even on my blog. So many times in the past year I have started to write and simply stopped at the thought of your comments. I allowed my thoughts to dissipate like clouds that promise but produce no rain. I forgot to stay true to my own style.
So, here I sit laptop in hand. I wish I had some of those words back. With them, I would tell you the story of Betty, my outrageous friend. I would tell you of her offbeat sense of humor; I would tell you that she was bigger than life. I would tell you of her death around 1:30 this morning. And yet no words come, only tears which spring up unbidden. I shake my head a lot as though it is something I cannot believe and then I swallow hard. What can I tell you about Betty? The most important thing to know is that she was as valiant as she was outrageous. She did not loose a battle with cancer; Betty won a battle for life. She fought long; she fought hard and she won. She died well and passed from the arms of her family to the arms of her Savior, Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God. The gates of heaven are thrown wide for her much as she used to throw wide the office doors and “announce” her presence. Heaven rings with her outrageous laughter and that is good, for it is all a matter of style.
7 comments:
So sorry to hear of your loss Susan. I am sure her personality will remain in your thoughts always.
Susan, I am so sorry about you losing a friend here on earth, but as you said, she is with Jesus now.
She sounds like someone I could have had a cut-up time with!
We all tend to let others influence our thoughts and words at times, regardless of how old we become. Yes, at our age we sometimes give to "peer" pressure.
As for other comments..one day every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord...regardless of how much denial is pushed here on earth.
Very sorry for your loss, Susan. It's hard to fathom and sometimes even harder to believe - but for the Christian, death is not the end but the beginning - of the life we were meant to have.
Very sorry about your friend. Heaven sounds blessed to have her as she is blessed to be there.
I like your writing here. Karen Spears Zacharias tells a similar story (in a similar way) in her new book, about a woman she knew who did not let breast cancer dampen her faith in Christ at all, but was renewed and deepened much in her walk and had a lasting testimony to many through the nine years before she went home.
Thanks, guys.
I realized this morning that I'd typed my email address incorrectly in comment enabling, so that's why it took so long for them to show up.
Death is an ugly thing. And yet for the believer in Christ, the risen Lord, it has no sting.
Thanks for sharing your heart. The loss of a friend is a heavy sorrow.
I pray the Lord comfort you, and Betty's family. Amen.
Love always wins.
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