a sweet remembrance....

... today at the memorial service for my brother in the church where he was a faithful member for over forty years. He and his sweet wife raised two sons there in that congregation, who have become fine young adults with families of their own. They were/are committed to many of the programs their Baptist family supports: local, national and international missions, education, Boy Scouts, Habitat for Humanity, providing food pantry items for those in need, partnering with a neighborhood school.

The service was well attended by many of the members who know and love that family. People who have worked beside him in many of the volunteer projects he diligently gave his time and skills to when the need arose. People who participated in mission labor with him, or helped on the kitchen/meal prep. team on Wednesday nights. Fellow church members who hammered and sawed with him on Habitat builds. Sunday School members who sat on the back row of the class, goofing, where they acted like teenagers in the senior men's group. Co-laborers who showed up on a Saturday morning to pull weeds in the flower beds, where they appeared unannounced, ready to do the job that needed doing.

I learned things about my brother I would have never heard, no one would have mentioned about his diligent work habits. Over a forty year career of working as a super smart computer guy, IT specialist. One man told of early on, years ago, when their team would break for lunch, the group would spend fifteen minutes eating, and the rest of their lunch hour playing cards, laughing and cheating. My brother was the guy reading computer manuals. On his lunch break.

A long time co-worker told of the group being presented with a problem requiring technical skills far beyond their collective expertise. Giving credit to their success in creating the necessary software to the one everyone else wanted to collaborate with: Brother.  Another told the story of a guy who worked elsewhere in the building, would come down a stairway to ask for help with resolving a problem. Then return to his desk, only to discover the go-to guy figured, tinkered and provided a solution by the time he made it back up the stairs to his own workspace.

I believe at times like this that the person whose life we are celebrating is also the one who would most have enjoyed the party, but sadly not present. All those others gathered for that time of remembrance are in someway connected to the grief of loss and the Joy of Home-going by that one person who is at the center of the Venn diagram, where the intersection lies. I am so thankful I was there to see and meet, talk and share with all those people who were parts and participants in his life for all these years. Amazed at how frequently I heard: 'you look so much like your brother.' But so sad to think that rich full life is over.