We got word the other day that about the
death of a dear friend, Mary Scoggins. Mary
opened her heart and home to a stray youngster who was doing his best to figure
out how to be a youth minister with virtually zero experience even at being in
a youth group. In fact he had only been
a Christian for about a year and a half.
Mary was the church organist, and her husband Scott was the music
minister.
Now Mary was one of the strongest ladies I
have ever known. I don’t mean strong in
the sense that she could heft a car (although
I have seen her come very close to picking up a burly son-in-law or two and
slapping him silly when he needed it.
And she seemed to have no problem at all gently lifting the tiniest baby
in her arms). I mean Mary was a spiritual
rock - to her family and to all those who considered themselves to be a part of
the family. Mary always seemed to grow
just a bit taller when we managed to push one of her buttons on some issue she
was particularly passionate about. Mary
was the consummate minister’s wife, too, always standing up for her husband and
often restating (in perhaps a tiny bit
louder tone) whatever soft-spoken Scott had said, just in case you didn’t hear
it.
I tried to come up with some of the other things
I most remembered about Mary. Best I
could do was list a few of them:
Sunday dinners after church
Naps on her couch
Sunday dinners after church
Hearing her say (more than once), “Now what am I gonna do with you two?” after
Connie and I took turns smushing each others’ dessert.
Sunday dinners after church
Watching her pantomime zipping her lips
shut as she watched Nancy tame a certain runaway linebacker
Sunday dinners after church
Hearing her tune up the organ and belt out
some of the grand old hymns
Sunday dinners after church
Watching as she encouraged my wife through
nursing school “as one nurse to another”
Sunday dinners after church
Hearing the Mary we knew from the good ol’
days sneak through the Alzheimer’s fog during our last visit, when she said,
“Well, if that don’t beat all.”
Oh, and did I mention, Sunday dinners after
church?
That Mary Scoggins. She was one special lady. May she enjoy her eternity with Scott and
Jesus, and may she forever be a guest for a change, rather than a hostess, at those
banquet tables in heaven.
Hebrews 6:1-2 says, “Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on
to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead
to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of
hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.”
Father, would you please walk with Mary’s
family over the next few days in particular. Give them peace and joy as they
remember Mary’s love and practice it on each other. Amen.
1 comment:
You just made my day with this loving post. Thank you, brother.
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