Saying Goodbye to Jessie

This week Jessie Carter died. She was 80 years old and a very sweet lady. She used to watch children at Grandview. She also watched children in her home. Her love for people was apparent at the funeral last night and at the graveside today.

During last night's funeral at the church building a storm rolled in. The clouds, visable through the large windows at the front of the sanctuary, were beautiful. The rain came during the funeral and stayed throughout this morning's graveside service.

The rain on my "good shoes" took me back to thoughts from when I was in high school. One of the things that bothered me when I was young and working for my dad in construction was the combination of a hard rain and the work site. I didn't much like the mud that would collect on my boots throughout the day. My boots would get messy and heavy. The mud on the bottom of my boots didn't get good traction on the mud that was under my boots. And it wasn't just a question of footwear. My clothes would get wet and heavy as well. By the end of the day I used to be a mixture of sweat, mud, rain, and dreams for an easier way of life. I remember yearning for a time when I would be able to work and not get messy. I wanted life to be neat and clean.

Now that I'm older I realize that life is rarely a tidy affair and that my wishes were unrealistic. Life comes with messiness. And so, today I got my good shoes wet in the cemetary. It didn't hurt my shoes at all. And even if it had, so what? I was half-glad for the mess because it brought back thoughts that hadn't surfaced in years. I wonder how different my life would have been if I had gotten that in my head earlier in life? Life is easier once we quit hoping that nothing messy will happen to us.

We'll miss you, Jessie. May God receive you and bless you.