As I mentioned yesterday, our day began
before 5:30 a.m. with a phone call from a gentleman in our church. Ed was letting us know that his wife of 55
years has died earlier in the morning.
Pat had been suffering from pancreatic cancer, and her pain had been
pretty severe for several weeks. She was
under hospice care, though, so they helped manage the pain. Pat was a strong lady who fervently loved the
Lord. She also loved hearing banjo
music. She had been a church secretary
for many years, so she understood a lot of what pastors go through. As a result she was one of my strongest
encouragers. I will definitely miss her
smile. Ed will now move to Tomball to be
near one of his daughters. We will miss
him as well, with his tales of fishing and stories of his military exploits and
his gardening tips. Oh, the family
decided to honor Pat’s dislike of funerals (well,
“dislike” is not really a strong enough word there. She absolutely hated funerals). There will be no memorial services. Remember her as I have done … perhaps when
you hear a banjo play …
We came back to the house when Ed and Pat’s
daughters arrived and the funeral home took away the body. We still had a Fall Festival to help set up
for at the church. That meant first
switching cars (glad we got the truck
back). We were responsible for
bringing our old, dilapidated wheelbarrow to be used as a decoration prop. It joined the other incredible decorations
that our activities director Lauren had put together. She always does a bang-up job, and this was
no exception. We also had to pick up
Cailyn and a friend of hers who she invited.
They wanted to be a part of the whole day experience, and they proved to
be a big help throughout setup and later helping other kids get involved.
Jim set up speakers so music could be
playing throughout the event. Thanks to
Cathy for giving up her phone and its Bluetooth connection in that regard. Games were set up all over the parking lot
and into the grass. A bounce house graced
the lawn near the sign. Tables over near
the worship center held an array of chili, fritos, hot dogs, and all the condiments. Nearby was the table for creating your own
bowl of caramel covered apple slices with all sorts of toppings. There was a table for guessing how many
candies were inside a glass jar. Closest
without going over won the candy (Cailyn
won one of them … again. She won one
last year, too). A huge cooler held water
and all sorts of soft drinks.
Right at 4:00 folks started arriving, and
there was a steady stream of families with youngsters we had never seen. I met numerous couples who had just moved to
Galveston. Several others let me know
they come regularly to the sunrise service.
I noticed that Seasiders were sprinkled everywhere. Several were serving food. Others were helping kids with games. All-star balloting elected Ray and Mary Ann
for the especially exuberant levels of excitement they brought to the
games. Any time a youngster in their care was
successful, they got a massive cheer, a high-five, or a hug to go along with
their candy and prizes. Parents were
pitching in as well, to encourage their youngsters. It seemed to be a real family-building
experience for those who came. The event
itself is our gift to the community, so everything is free. But word also got out that we had an area for
donating canned goods. Not a lot of PR
about that, but the community stepped up and filled several baskets with food
for folks who need it. So thank you,
community. You are awesome. It is a real privilege to be here to serve
you however we can.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, “Now all has been heard; here is the
conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the
duty of all mankind.”
Father, please continue to walk through the
valley of death with Ed and his girls.
They will need to find other ways to express their grief without a
memorial service. And thank you so much
for the great response at the Festival.
Please honor the efforts of everybody who helped out. Amen.
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