The Quintessence of a Life Well-Lived
~ Written by Herman L. Dickey, Jr. (03/12/08) ~
Here lies the quintessence of a life well-lived…rooted in Christ, with the heart to give and help others live when the going got tough. With her in your life, you had more than enough. Her home? A hospital if you didn’t feel well. Had no place to stay? It became a hotel. No babysitter money? It was truly a day care – with the swing set, hot meals and everything right there! Ran short on a bill? A financial institution! But whatever your problem, she had the solution. A God-fearing woman, so giving and kind. A rare, precious diamond – never boasting of its shine.
“Missionary” was the title she had in the church, AND who God had called her to be on this earth…leading people to the water to be baptized while standing on the sidelines with tears in her eyes… it’s not a surprise (though my inner man cries) that she lived 104 years before her demise…a few days shy of making 105!
“Apple” is the first word she taught me to spell. She had me speaking in churches at ages 8 and 12…and I remember in 2nd grade when my speech didn’t “gel”, her motherly guidance helped me to do well. With the chance to speak in front of President Carter…she knew I could do it, so she made me try harder. That was only one success that she helped me to birth during her precious hours and days on this earth. She bought my first organ, first typewriter too – never settling for less than the best I could do. When directing and singing, wherever I’d go, she’d be my main cheerleader on the front row…as many people know…and boy did I grow from the seeds she would sow (and the clothes she sewed too). Without her in my life, I would have been through!
Some days she was godmother, other days “friend”. Folks saw us in public and swore we were kin – which was only enhanced when she called me “son”, and then I would look up and call her “mom”. In me, her love wasn’t really instilled. It was more so “injected” like a liquid pill that consumed every muscle, tissue and vain. She’s gone but those side effects still remain…and trust me, I’ll never be the same!
If you asked her the apples of her eye, she’d mention my mom, my god-brother and I. In addition to teaching us how to live right, she gave great examples of how to fight – not with fists or a tongue like a lightning rod, yet instead through the power and presence of God. The same God who kept her beyond her years, empowering her to help calm our fears, wipe our tears, make bad things better…she was fast asleep when God came to get her. She did not die in pain or distress. She had an ear to God, and she heard the word “rest”…and that’s all she needed to kindly surrender, leaving us GREAT THINGS to cherish and remember. So, Lord, rather than mourning, it’s PRAISE that we give as we celebrate the quintessence of a life well lived.
