(Photo 1: Connie Foster; Photo 2: Mom and Mrs. Gines)
This past week the theme in my life seemed to be learning about light shining in the darkness. My dear angel friend, Connie, passed away from a battle with cancer last weekend. She was such a shining star in my life. I met her when she came to substitute teach for me three years ago. We hit it off right away and became fast friends. Connie was like that with everyone she met. She always had a sparkle in her eyes and an encouraging word. Over the years, I spent many hours talking with her on the phone about life. She had such depth and wisdom. We were 14 years apart in age but I felt like we were the same age. You would have never known that Connie suffered from deep depression. She was ashamed to even talk about it. It only came out in a conversation we had last Fall, when I told her I suffered from depression, and it was then that she hinted to me about it. She was so used to people not understanding depression that it wasn't something she was comfortable talking about. Connie was so bubbly and cheerful, you would have had a hard time believing she suffered from depression. Even when she called to tell me that the cancer had spread and it was terminal, through her tears she was passionately optimistic! "Pray for me, Becca! Pray for a cure! I'm going to beat this! I'm going to beat all the odds!", she would say over the phone. She was cheerful and positive to the very end that she would find a way to win the battle, so much so, that she even impressed and touched the hospice workers with her love and light. What an example of light and positive attitude she was! She always focussed every ounce of her attention on other people, serving others, and spreading cheer and happiness everywhere she went. At her funeral, that was what everyone was saying about her. She was the same person to everyone and treated everyone as though they were super special in her eyes. (Which they were!)
Today, another dear friend passed away from cancer. Mrs. Gines was my Mom's best friend. I grew up with the Gines' girls. Their family just seemed to be an extension of my own family. From my earliest memories, we spent Christmas Eve at the Gines home with a close-knit group of other family friends. I remember ringing the doorbell out in the darkened Christmas Eve night, and Mrs. Gines would always swing open the door with a huge smile and sparkling gentle blue eyes and say "Come in! Come in!" This was the first place I ever read the Bible. It was tradition that on Christmas Eve we would all gather in the front living room, in a make-shift circle of sorts, and each person, adult and child alike, would read a verse from the Bible about the story of the birth of baby Jesus. We would sing Christmas carols and everyone would go around and share what the meaning of Christmas meant to them. I was super shy back then, but the feelings of warmth and love that we shared on that special holiday have stayed with me my entire life. Mrs. Gines reminds me so much of my friend Connie. She was so positive, jolly, and always had a sparkle in her eyes! I still remember her tucking me into bed as a little girl when my parents had parties in our home and Mom was busy being a hostess. Mrs. Gines is the only one I would have ever let tuck me in bed besides my parents or grandmothers. She had such a soothing voice that calmed me as a little girl. I saved an email Mrs. Gines sent my mom several months ago of a story about burnt biscuits and how we choose our reactions to the things going on around us. Here's the part I liked best :
And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God.
The passing of these two beautiful women reminded me of all the light they possessed. The past few weeks have been rather "dark" in my world. I've been hit with one thing after another and I was feeling my own light diminishing. I am sad to have lost these two beautiful women to cancer so soon, but in their passing I was strengthened by the memories of their constant emulation of light, love, and positive outlook on life. I have much to learn from these beautiful women whom I was blessed to have in my life. Sending Love.
Me
