Saying Goodbye to a Friend
Our little corner of the neighborhood experienced the passing of two folks in the last few months. One was a newer neighbor that we didn’t really get to know before he passed, and the other was our friend, Tim.
We saw Tim nearly every day. He had a big personality and was hard to miss as he made his way around the village in his wheel chair. Tim loved our girls, so when we were outside and he was getting home, he'd often call them over near his porch to chat for a little bit - usually about God. He had a deep faith that mattered very much to him and always reminded our girls to "put God first".
Earlier this Spring, Dustin and I were heading to bed and thought we heard a faint knock outside. We’d spent some time with Tim earlier in the evening, so I actually wondered if it was him and decided to head downstairs to check. Then I heard his voice calling out - “Christina, Dustin, I’ve got something for the girls!”
There he was with a container full of food.
“I made the girls some banana pudding,” he said as he held it up. “I want to give it to them.”
“Thank you for thinking of them, Tim. They will love that! They’re in bed right now because it’s pretty late. I’ll take it and put it in the fridge so they can check it out in the morning. They'll be so excited. Next time, will you come by a little earlier? We’re not usually up this late.”
“Oh sure, Christina. I just wanted to make something for my girls.”
“Well, we really appreciate it. Thank you so much.”
And off he went, back to his house.
We have lots of stories about Tim and his big personality and our street just doesn't feel the same without him.
In his final couple of weeks, Dustin spent a great deal of time with Tim. Without family, Dustin was really the only person visiting him in the hospital as his health took a turn for the worse, and he advocated for Tim when he was unresponsive, talking with the nursing staff, physicians, and chaplain. And then, in the final weekend of Tim's life, the doctor called letting Dustin know that it seemed that it could just be hours before he passed. So Dustin went back to the hospital, singing, praying, and just sitting in silence with Tim through his final hours.
As the end drew near, Dustin let the other missional neighbors know that it looked like it could be soon. So three other missionals headed to the hospital. They each prayed and sang, and then Dustin decided to read one final liturgy - A Liturgy for the Final Hours.
"Tim, when you're ready to be with Jesus, here are some words that I'm going to speak for you."
Moments later, Tim's heart stopped beating and he moved on from this world into the next. It was Dustin's first time being with someone through the final moments, and it was a powerful, sad, holy experience.
