Sunday, June 12, 2016

More Thoughts of Wendy

One of our closest friends sent a very thoughtful email of her memories of Wendy. I trust she won't mind my sharing a portion of it. "Dear Michael, I can't begin to imagine all that you have been through the past few months or what you are feeling now but I wanted to send you a note. Wendy was an amazing lady who had a huge impact on my life. The word that comes to my mind when I think of her is strength. She was strong physically- She ran, she swam, she kayaked, she bicycled, she walked, she did marathons. When we kayaked together I always had to paddle my arms off just so I wouldn't get too far behind, unless we were going on one of our special relaxing kayak ventures which I treasured. She was strong in knowledge- She knew her plants and she was a great teacher. She always impressed me with how much she knew and also with her desire to continually be learning new things. She didn't just know how to grow plants but also how to use plants. She could make all sorts of tasty things and she seemed to have fun creating food for people to enjoy. I have memories of her in kitchens from Groveland to Pineland to Carolina. She was strong in relationships- she was a friend that I knew I could trust with anything and one that I could talk to about anything. She truly cared about others and she had a special way of making people feel loved and cared for. I always appreciated how she took time for the ECHO interns and I was always impressed with her trips to various places around the world and how she cared about people and was intentional about developing meaningful relationships. She was strong emotionally- she seemed to know herself well and that gave her the freedom to be herself. No matter what she was going through she always seemed to be thinking about others and was always concerned about others. She was strong spiritually- she had an amazing, unshakable faith in God that she lived out fearlessly. It wasn't just a theoretical thing, it was something that impacted her daily and something that was evident in all of her actions and attitudes. She was strong in joy- she laughed a lot. As I have been thinking back on all the memories, I've tried to fix her voice in my mind so I can always remember what her voice sounded like and when I remember her voice, I always hear it laughing. She enjoyed life and she drew everyone into her circle of joy. When I hear your voice Michael, it's usually saying something about your Wendy, so I can't imagine what you are feeling but I want you to know you are deeply loved and you remain in our constant thoughts and prayers. I am so thankful for the chance to get to know Wendy and have adventures together and be impacted by her strengths." Michael

4 comments:

  1. These words could not be more eloquent in describing our beloved sister Wendy. Thank you for sharing them. Cindy

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  2. All true! Wish I could have put those words together like this!

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  3. Beautiful words that are so true.

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