Hope unites the people of God ... Moves us forward ...

There is an old saying, "It is easier to get forgiveness than permission." Our April newsletter at Snow Hill contained the following gem from Jason. He did not have the picture to post so here is to hoping for forgiveness by posting his thoughts here.

The Lenten Season is almost over. Easter is just a couple weeks away. For me and many others in our community this Lenten Season has been scarred by pain. Not the pain of sacrifice, but the pain of loss. It has been over two weeks since Lyle Burris passed away. His passing has been difficult for my family. Many Sunday evenings you could find the Shepherds playing dominoes with Lyle and Evette. Grace and Emma would eventually weasel their way into his lap usually with a cookie. The Sunday of his passing we shared a meal together after church. Grace and Lyle sat together. I can still see him cutting ravioli up for her.

He set behind us at church. He picked up the crayons, hair bows, paper, Polly Pockets, and candy that the girls inevitably drop on a weekly basis. He was going to be a good Grandfather some day. Since the passing of my father a few years back I had started relying on Lyle for the advice a son sometimes needs from his father. I never told him that. I didn’t need to. He would have been mad at me for thinking he was old enough to fill that role.

I’m not going to try and justify his death. It would only lead to dishonoring him and God. Death is the inevitable burden that unites all of humanity. Hope is the blessing that unites all of God’s people. Hope is not a quick fix. Hope can only heal the wounds of loss slowly over time. There are many other things I could say about Lyle. I’m going to miss him. He was a good friend.

Jason Shepherd, from the April 2006 Snow Hill Newsletter