Good morning…
Yesterday I went to the memorial service for Edith (Dede) Burnette, the mom of a loyal friend in our Friday morning class. Held in our small chapel at Northside Church, the service offered beautiful music (Blessed Assurance and Amazing Grace), encouraging Scriptures (Psalm 23, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, Revelation 21:1-7), and a few prayers with brief, touching remarks from our senior pastor. Simple. Sacred. The service was inspiring.
Afterward, we were invited to a reception at the home of my friend, Dede’s only child. As I waited a few minutes to go into her house, I sapped a photo of the back of the bulletin sitting in my passenger’s seat.
Dede loved to paint, so the family chose one of her creations to include in the program. Entering my friend’s home, I was greeted by family, friends and a gorgeous spread of food. The guestbook was open to sign with fun photo albums to browse, but the thing I will remember most was Dede’s unframed water color paintings set out for our enjoyment in every single room. Colorful. Creative. Bursting with eternal life.
Over the next several months, my friend plans to share these pieces of Dede’s art with family and friends, beautiful reminders of her life well-lived. When I think of Dede’s time on earth, this verse comes to mind. God has made us what we are [For we are his handiwork/workmanship/work of art]. In Christ Jesus, God made [created] us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing (Ephesians 2:10, EXB).
Over the past several months, I have watched my friend kindly “do good works,” sweetly nurturing her mother as she journeyed home to God. What an exquisite work of art, these ordinary lives of ours. God has made us what we are and has planned in advance for us to live our normal days bursting with eternal life.
…Sue…
