I was so blessed to be sitting at lunch yesterday and in the pew at the church, not because of the sadness of the passing of my friend, but I felt like I was PREVIEWING HEAVEN, I really did. I felt the comradery of fellowship of fellow believers sitting next to me, they have been faith family 25 years now, plus the table behind me, back to back to back with 3 pastor friends too… like even though we don’t see each other each week, we are bonded, heaven-bound and earth-eager companions – only problem (which is a big problem) is sadness of loss. Our hearts ache for my friend’s husband, her daughter, her grandkids who cried and tried to be brave, especially the littlest, but the truth of emotions is that it IS hard to lose a loved one and see pain, this is OK to experience, and yet we are called to loose the rein of holding them back from Heaven. 

Let them go – OK?!!!

Oh what Heaven’s gain is our friend. Jesus was loaning her to us, she’s pre-positioned for greeting us in Heaven now. Of the photos displayed you could see and knew of her being Mom in the Moment with the Momentum of MUCH LOVE. 

I remember her deepest and first for just loving people – loving the moment to be there for her family and her friends – and just being the open greeter to new people, including us 25 years ago with a new baby in tow, stepping into an unknown church situation, picked only because it was the last latest starting service we could find at 1030am, yeah. She greeted us and walked us around, while another friend took our munchkin 7month old, dressed in St. Patrick’s dress, and we felt instantly to be in church family. She (and God) made that happen. We stepped in OK.

I remember my friend for being the maybe 4th or 5th person I told about this incredible overwhelming THING going on in my head, an awakening I later comprehended, being born again by Jesus, with a few people whom I could confirm my calling with. She walked by the sanctuary, after church right time right place, I still see the scene. It made my sharing feel OK!

I remember her for being REALLY REAL at our woman’s retreat, with announcing her enormous hot flashes, whew… It might have been the first time, in a society which doesn’t talk about menopause and dealing with it, that I actually heard TRUTH about this aging unknown known… That weekend I was educated, and pre-learned that someday they will come, they have, and yet I will be OK. Now I understand and now I worry less about me, because of her open sharing.

Fast forward many years, mid covid recovery to society and her church where she worked needed VBS help, she called me, I learned of the need, I said OK, yeah she taught me it’s OK to say OK, when other people think it’s strange to stretch thin or stretch outside the norm, it’s OK. The Lord leans into His OK.

I can also see her sitting across from me one evening (pre-covid) at a planning meeting for our women’s retreat where she mentioned some memory issues that concerned her. I remember years after that being shocked and surprised about the vascular dementia diagnosis, with fear of quick decline, but at ease with a diagnosis and plan to start – it was a quick “no question” decision to MOVE, a Mom with Momentum Moved to be closer to her daughter and grandkids. No questions needed, no questions asked. We knew it was OK to have a primary priority which put everything else second. OK!

(And I appreciated her honesty when she asked to NOT get my daily emails because she had no time to read, having this refocused focus on her family. I said OK, and was OK with that!)

And then the day just fairly recently where I was amazed to see her in person, at a funeral last year at our home church where we first met, and we reconnected in person (thankfully Facebook fosters the regular news, but in person comes with hugs). My friend greeted me with wide eyes excitement for seeing me – instant knowledge of me – even in the lack of verbal communication, she established her excitement. It was maybe 30 minutes more later that she uttered the most important question that took that much processing time, but was paramount in her being able to ask: “How are your children?” – Yes, the Mom Moment drew up all her Momentum and strength to ask – ask of my now grown kids – children kids teens adults who have been blessed being raised in the church with church family surrounding us in support as a community. What’s funny to me was even with this mental decline, she popped up out of her chair abruptly with SO MUCH ENERGY to go to the kitchen,  wow OK, and surely wanted to help with dishes, as she always helped in the kitchen… yeah… She showed OK even when things weren’t OK.

I remember my amazing friend for being a perfectly placed role model of not perfection but of perseverance and sharing. A role model of “OK”. She was (and is) a woman of faith who taught us all how to be OK in so many real times of living through change. Even of making changes even when fighting back the “Why?” of her disease… She showed being a faith force, a Mom in the Moment with Momentum, a child of God, a loving force for Jesus, a Spirit-moved model of our gain in trusting the Lord. 

And being OK in the time appointed BY the Lord to be back WITH the Lord, she said “OK” to this too… The displays of photos included music scores of “Are you washed in the Blood?” – amen to being more than OK with being blessedly washed in Jesus’s blood, I had to be, we have to be, OK to give in like Naaman and fully be OK to dip deeply in.

I miss you my friend, but it’s OK, I will see you again someday when ALL will be OK. 

In the meantime, we will follow Jesus’s Way, OK!

Amen 

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Psalm 23 KJV

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.