Good morning…
At Lenbrook Senior Community on Saturday, we honored the flamboyant life of Betsy Anderson, the mom of Corinne Adams, a dear friend to many. I have never put in so much time deciding what to wear to a celebration of life service, since the traditional black garb simply would not do. I chose my brightest blue blouse and donned my white, TYVEK jacket with a huge, sequined eye-inside-a-heart appliqué on the back, hand-sewn by Corinne’s unending creativity. Following Betsy’s example, I put on the biggest, most eye-catching necklace I own, a handmade monstrosity of wire, stone, and beads, a necklace my mortified daughters sarcastically call my “dream catcher.”
“Perfect,” I thought. “I am channeling my inner Betsy,” who inspired each person she met to catch their own dreams.
The welcoming minister stepped to the microphone and invited us in with this quote from Pope John Paul II: “Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.” Then we were bathed in a variety of life-giving Scriptures, stories, and songs, each giving voice to the nine decades that hosted Betsy’s colorful life.
Listening to the long list of loving memories shared by Bety’s family members, I jotted in my journal words tickling my ears. Crazy, spunky, she would drop anything to get on the dance floor. Adventure, bright colors, she learned to play the bagpipes at age 66. Ultimate storyteller, diligent prayer warrior, “If she were a bird, she would be a peacock.” Technicolor, lifelong learner, she was the genuine article. Bedrock of faith, survivor of highs and lows, she splashed joy all around her and warmed up a room.
Nearing the end of the service, we smiled big and clapped our hands in unison to the most funky “Welcome to Heaven” song I have every experienced. Then our souls settled sweetly into the blessing of Betsy’s all-time-favorite benediction.
“May God give us grace not to sell ourselves short. Grace to do something big for something good. Grace to remember that the world is too small a place for anything else but truth and too dangerous a place for anything but love. May God take our minds and think through them. May God take our lips and speak through them. May God take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen.”
“The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this: Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what’s best— as above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You’re in charge! You can do anything you want! You’re ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes.” (Matthew 6:7-13, MSG).
…Sue…
