Precious in His Sight......

A friend of mine died on Friday night, around 10:30pm.

We had actually thought we might go to visit her at her daughter's house in Bennington, Vermont on Saturday. Rob called Joan's daughter to see if that would work for them but was told that Joan would probably not last the night. So she put us on speaker phone and we both spoke with Joan. Her daughter told us that her eyes lite up when she heard our voices and we could hear her trying to make some sounds but she had not been able to communicate for a few days. She died an hour later.

Joan and her husband, Dave, were actually first friends of my folks. They were of similar age and had come to know the Lord around the time that my folks were saved. Joan became a great prayer partner of my mom's for years. They would meet together at Peck Road once a week to pray for the church and their families.

But I have found, in the Lord, people are not just friends with their peers but become friends with people of all ages. Joan was in the choir when Rob and I sang in the choir so we were at many events together. My Dad always had an annual choir party at the end of the summer, food, croquet and badmitton and wonderful fellowship were all part of the event. Joan was a faithful devotee (as I was) of my other friend, Fran, and her ministry "Women of the Bible", a monthly look at different women in scripture. When my folks moved to Hilton Head, several other people from the church began making that island their new home too. Joan and Dave set up their homestead in a wonderful condominium in the same community that Aunt Millie lived. So we saw them often and maintained a warm relationship.

Our former "youth" pastor wrote this about Joan:

"Some people just always seem to have half their attention in the heavenlies even while on earth........Heaven is richer and rejoicing having received a wonderful worshipper".

It will seem strange when I visit Hilton Head not to see Joan. Dave will be back to reestablish the ministry that they had on the island. Even in their eighty's they were still "serving" the Lord faithfully. All her firends will miss her but we know...........that someday we will all be changed.

And reunited.