Someone called to inform me several years ago about the death of a college friend (we had fallen out of touch for a while). There was always a part of me that did not believe it, for she had tremendous faith that the cancer would not prevail. She went to a televangelist’s crusade looking for healing and came back sick, also exposing their fraud to my friends and I. I just got the bright idea to put her name into the Social Security Death Index, and up she came, eight years gone. And now, real grief has touched me.
C.A. was more than just a friend. She was a mentor. I am so happy that in our last telephone conversation, I was able to tell her how much she blessed my life – to tell her that she was a beacon of light for the Lord in a dark world. I wanted her to know just in case she didn’t make it. And I never heard from her again. (With another friend, J.S., I was not so fortunate. Still, they are both in the same better place.)
This woman looked at me and saw greatness when I saw nothing. Twenty years my senior, she taught me to praise the Lord no matter what, told me that I would be a leader. And now, now that the hurt is fresh, I dedicate this blog post to her. She helped mold me to be who I am today, and though I still need work, it’s that initial push toward success that often counts the most.
I love you. I miss you.
