Our loss. Heaven’s gain.

This is an update to a post I published back on October 6th.

On October 11th, my family and our church family lost another dear friend. Rev. Lafayette Pinckney passed away on October 11th. Although I was very young when I met the Pinckney family I certainly do remember them. I have read some comments written in the social media recently that are touching and come from a perspective far closer than mine. If I was given just one word to describe Rev. Pinckney based on my memory of 35 years ago, it would be warm. His smile just made you feel better, even if he wasn’t smiling at you. I remember my parents telling me when I was a boy, that there was a different look in the eyes of someone who was happy and living for Christ. I haven’t thought about those words in many years, but it certainly would be true of Rev. Pinckney and also of Nancy Ross. As I get older, my guess is that there will be more wonderful people, with tremendous legacies that I will remember here.

My memory is pretty foggy on the details but I am pretty sure we did a nice Sunday dinner at the Pinckney’s house when I was maybe 7 or 8 years old. I have some images that come to my mind, but mostly I just remember it was a lot of fun. I also remember when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade at Calvary Christian School, and I went into the classroom for the first day of school, I was so disappointed that Tana and Rena (his daughters) weren’t in my grade. I guess I didn’t fully understand how the grades thing worked. I mean, after all, I was friends with them in church and Sunday school, why shouldn’t we be in the same grade too?

I haven’t spoken to anyone in the family since I was a kid. My prayers are with the entire family. Based on the things I have been able to read, it would seem Rev. Pinckney prepared his family well for these times. It would also seem that our Heavenly Father prepared him just as well. For a week ago, he toiled here with us, and now our loss is heaven’s gain.

Original post: 10/6/2011 for Nancy Ann Ross (Witham)

My family lost a dear friend earlier this week. An old friend, one I haven’t seen in many years. Growing up, this woman and her family went to our church. For the last many years they have lived down south. I was helping my mother find obituary information over the last 24 hours so we could send flowers and such. I came across the information earlier this morning and forwarded it to my mom, after calling her to tell her I found it.

Before I called my mom though, I read through the obituary, I saw the picture provided for the article, and it took me back, maybe 30 years. I shed a few tears looking at her picture because even though she was older, I could see that face, always on the verge of a smile. More people than we would care to admit look at people and listen, waiting for the drama or the trouble. Somehow feeling better themselves to hear of others’ troubles. Not this woman though, her face always was ready to smile or laugh, and her eyes anxiously awaited the humor in almost everything. I saw those things even in the picture provided to the newspapers. I know she was quite sick and not herself towards the end of her life here on earth, and for that I hope sincerely that the family will remember her in a light different from her final weeks. I am sure they will. She and her family were always wonderful to me and my family. This week, our loss is surely heaven’s gain.