Remembering a Friend with Thoughts of Love and Kindness

REMEMBERING A FRIEND

 

****This post is updated. It was first published in 2015, on a former blog, but the words still ring true today.****

 

I’m sitting at the picnic table on the porch this evening. The carpenter bees are still buzzing around. I hear a dove’s mournful song coming from the nearby woods. There are other birds whose songs I don’t recognize. It’s interesting how many birds I hear when I sit still and listen.

   

All of a sudden my two dogs come running up to greet me. They are so full of energy! Now they’re off again, and it’s quiet. A wood thrush graces me with a song. Its music is so beautiful.

 

This is a sad evening for me.

It looks as if one of my good friends may be meeting Jesus tonight. She lies in a hospital bed in a coma after cardiac arrest. I think of her husband, her daughter, her two sons, her daughter-in-law, her two precious granddaughters, and the numerous people whose lives she has touched.

 

As I sit on the porch I see that life goes on all around me normally as if nothing unusual is happening. Of course, how could they know? It’s somehow very soothing to see the sky and clouds, the trees in all their splendor, the birds with their lovely music, and yes, even the carpenter bees and their buzzing. 

 

It’s comforting to know that God loves my friend. 

 

I know that He is also saddened by her suffering and that of her family. Some may ask, If God has all that control and compassion, why doesn’t He just heal her?  I do not know the reasons why He heals sometimes and not at other times.

 

I do know that God is good. He is compassionate.

 

He never promised that we would be pleased with everything that happens, but He did promise to be with us always. God is with us during the happy times. And He’s with us when we are sad, lonely or grieving. He holds my friend in His loving arms. He will bring her to live with Him where she will be healed, a place where her suffering will end, and she will be at peace.

 

Those who are left will be sad to lose her and will need to grieve, but God will be with them. He will give comfort and peace even through the tears and pain. They know that one day they will see her again. That doesn’t take away the pain, but it does give them hope.

 

How she will be missed! 

 

She was a praying woman and cared deeply for others. She was always ready to listen if you needed to talk. Everyone she touched was blessed by her. She loved her family and friends well.

 

FONDLY REMEMBERING A FRIEND

 

Early yesterday morning my friend passed from this life into life eternal with God. To many of us it still seems unbelievable that she is gone. It was kind of a shock as it happened so fast. One day she was talking to people, and less than 48 hours later she was gone. I didn’t realize how much she meant to me until I knew I was losing her.

 

I want to remember the lovely, caring woman that she was. 

 

Oh, I can still hear her voice and see her beam as she showed us pictures of her grandbabies. She enjoyed cooking and trying new recipes. She showed her love to many by way of her baking skills. Her beautiful cakes found their way into weddings, birthdays and other gatherings.

 

This friend is the first to be taken from our group of six ladies we sometimes call “The Lunch Bunch.” It started several years ago when a few of us surprised one friend on her birthday by taking her out to lunch. We had so much fun that we decided to try to meet together for lunch to celebrate each of our birthdays.

   

REMEMBERING A FRIEND AND HOW SHE INSPIRED

 

We attended the same church, but later events out of our control changed all that, and we were scattered. In order to keep in touch, we tried to meet monthly for either breakfast or lunch. It ended up being pretty sporadic, but we always had a great time together. This particular friend was usually the one who would call me to let me know when a get together was planned.

 

As I chatted with another of the group, she reminded me that this friend would often refer to us as the “Wild Women.” In a way we were and are. We all have dreams to pursue and we live out loud proclaiming to all who see us our love for each other and for God.

 

One of us has been taken away, but the life she lived will continue to inspire each of us for as long as we live.

 

  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep… Therefore encourage one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:14,18 CSB 

 

This post is an update from my former blog, published in 2015. Remembering my friend today, as I reviewed and updated the words here. We never stop missing our friends and other loved ones, but we do have wonderful memories and the sure hope of seeing them again.

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