We buried my friend, Saunder Gordon yesterday. In the cold air. Among so many family and friends. Yet, this morning, the wind is still blowing. Snow is still falling. My neighbor heads to work. My husband hurries off to his practice. The mailman will bring bills, again and again.
“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” James 4: 13-14
Saunder, it may look on the surface as if you were never here….
But, because of you, my heart feels a movement of energy and purpose. When things get tough, I will remember your silent strength, your steadfast faith and courage. When my husband says, “I wish I hadn’t fallen” for the 10 thousandth time, instead of snapping back, I need to be his ‘Saunder Gordon’. Everyone needs that smile. Everyone needs to feel that radiance that comes from within. That radiance which connected you to a greater good. Iwant that kindness to reflect from my face. When the living members – the body called the church needs help , I need to be God’s hands and feet – like you showed me every day of the life that you lived on this earth. I want to be that person that has a space for everyone. I want to be that woman that everyone will remember in that ‘she always smiled’.
Oh, Saunder, the grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of the Lord will live through you forever. How blessed I am to have had Saunder Gordon in my life. Now, it’s my turn to be a blessing to you.
Her legacy lives on.