It’s who I am
Mist on Fremont Lake
Today I am in Fremont, Michigan, Randy’s hometown. We flew out here because his mom had a health crisis last year and all her “kids” flew in to be with her. She rallied and they moved her into an assisted living facility, but on Thursday morning she died. Now her grandchildren and great grandchildren are coming in and the funeral is Friday. We are comforted by knowing Marj had a good life of 91 years and was a woman of strong faith. It gives us joy that she told Randy’s brother she was “ready to join Dad” (her husband who died in 2003).
Although we have that comfort and joy, emotions are a bit closer to the surface and when we sang the song “Good, Good Father” * at church this morning, a lump formed in my throat. Back in the day when “praise songs” were being introduced to our church, this simple song might have received the criticism that many did -- it’s repetitive, it uses the word “I” often, and is seemingly not very deep. But sometimes repeating simple words is deep. My sister told me once about a simple refrain that often filled her heart, and that happened to me today as we sang:
And I'm loved by You
It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am
Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Someone posted the “proem” (poem + prose) that Brian Doyle wrote called “Leap.” ** Describing the sight of a man and woman holding hands as they leapt from the tower, in one of his characteristic, exalting, galloping sentences, Doyle wrote:
It is what makes me believe that we are not craven fools and charlatans to believe in God, to believe that human beings have greatness and holiness within them like seeds that open only under great fires, to believe that some unimaginable essence of who we are persists past the dissolution of what we were, to believe against such evil hourly evidence that love is why we are here. (emphasis mine)
“Love is why we are here.” That’s deep, too! We are here because of God’s love. And we are here to love -- each other and God.
When a loved one dies, when we remember the evil perpetrated by terrorists, when we feel overwhelmed by the coronavirus, refugee crises, racially-motivated acts of cruelty, hurricanes, and all the other pervasive evil in the world, we remember who we are and that love is why we are here.
Who am I? I am loved by God. Who are you? You are loved by God.
* Good Good Father (Acoustic) - Lydia Shaw | Bethel Music Worship
** Leap by Brian Doyle (Scroll to the bottom to listen to Brian Doyle reading it.
Marj and her “kids.”
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What is this?? A while back, I had an idea. I was thinking of some friends I wanted to pray for, but I didn't have a specific thing to pray about on their behalf. I decided to pray that they would feel God's love. I decided to send them an email when I prayed, so they'd know and be encouraged. Then I thought about my many other family and friends who I would like to encourage with prayer, and decided to start this email.
Two things I try to do:
-- Encourage you with a reminder of God's love. My goal is to avoid anything where the response is "I should..." Just a short reflection of God's love.
-- Pray for you. I'll pray with each email, and please reply to me with anything you'd specifically like me to pray for you. I'll keep it confidential, don't worry..
You can opt out any time, no hurt feelings, no need for explanation, no worries. Just reply with a subject like "Unsubscribe" or "Opt out" or "No thanks" or whatever. If you would like to send me specific prayer requests. I will gladly pray with you. Email me at mavis at moonfamily.cc. I'll keep all communication confidential.