The Sting of Death

I was just checking my student e-mail on my college website. I found out quite unexpectedly that my college advisor just passed away last Monday. She had been to the dr. recently, and learned she had cancer. With that diagnosis, she retired and only said she was planning to spend her retirement with her husband. She never mentioned she only had a few weeks to live.
That is just like her - to spare others the pain of knowing that detail. I will miss her. She was the one constant in a sea of changing faces on the administration staff. She was also older and wiser than most of the (young) staff. Ok, so I'm old and prejudiced! I admit it. She will really be missed by a lot of other students, and by me.

Her funeral is this Saturday, the first day of Fall semester. How appropriate. I hope the church is packed out with friends and students as well as family. She had such a huge influence on so many lives. I'm sure she never realized just how much.

I'm glad she was a Christian. I'll see her again on the other side. That will be a sweet reunion. I want to be able to tell her I finally graduated! She will laugh & say with that twinkle in her eye that she never had any doubt that I would. That would be just like her!

Farewell, Carol. You will be missed for a long time. Your legacy will live on in the hearts and lives of OLLU students like me, who didn't give up because of encouragers like you! Bravo to you for a job well done!

The road less traveled

I enjoyed a weeks visit with my daughter & son-in-law around July 4th. I had a wonderful time being shown all the sights in Charlottesville where they live. My daughter planned a lot of day trips for us - a day at the beach, two days in Washington, D.C., a day at Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson, etc. Mixed into all that were meals spent with her husband's parents & grandparents.

My daughter & hubby are having a house built, so we went to visit that everyday to see what new thing the builder had done on it. My daughter is so excited about it all, and can hardly wait to live there! I can't say I blame her - it's a beautiful home! I know they will fill it with love and kindness.

As I think back on choices my daughter has made so far in her young life, I am so impressed by the good choices she has made. She seems to have a history of taking the "high road" in life. She wants to do the right thing, even if it's hard or requires sacrifice. You don't see that in a lot of young adults anymore. I can only say that I am very thankful that she is living her life this way. It brings honor to her and to all her family. She makes us all proud to call her our daughter, sister, daugher-in-law, or friend. I can't wait to see how she raises the children God gives her someday! They will be blessed to have such a wonderful mother!