I Am Grateful

"Peace I leave you, My peacde I give you; not as the world gives, do i give to you.  Do not let your heart be troubled, nor fearful" John 14:27 (NASB).

   My sister, Patricia Croyle, passed away recently, and I am grateful to many people for the comfort and help they provided.  First, I am grateful to God for allowing me to have had Pat as my big sister for my entire life, and I am grateful for the Christ-centered life that she lived.

   I am immensely grateful to my wife, Norma, for the support she has been to me and Pat during Pat’s later years.  She held my hand when I was discouraged; she sang with Pat when singing was the only way Pat could communicate, and she helped me plan for Pat’s going-home celebration.  I am also deeply grateful to my sons, their wives, and their children and their spouses and near-spouses.  They gave me much emotional support, and they helped in arranging for Pat’s funeral.   My nieces, Tracey and Wendy and their families blessed us with flowers.  I would like to thank the person who sent the other flowers, but there was no name attached.  This was a time that really taught me the value of family.

   I am grateful to the care-givers my sister has had over the years, especially those from Sherwood Village.  They treated her with kindness and gave her dignity, and in her last few days, they provided comfort for Norma and me.

   Bring’s Broadway Chapel helped us with all the decisions we had to make in Tucson.  And they made plans for Pat’s remains to be sent to Pennsylvania. They also coordinated with Deaner Funeral Home in Stoystown, PA.

  Don Deaner and his associates at Deaner Funeral Home treated us with dignity and compassion as we made arrangements for the service at Kantner United Methodist Church and for the burial of her casket.  Don even found and gave me a newspaper article with a picture of Pat and his father at the dedication of the historic train station in Kantner.  They made us feel welcomed and comforted.  

   The people of Kantner United Methodist Church, Pat’s home church, welcomed us with open arms and expressed love for us from the moment I called Pastor Kimmel to discuss my sister’s funeral service.  Even though he knew neither Pat nor me, he was gracious and helpful, willing and eager to work with whatever arrangements we desired, and I thank him for his service to my family and Pat.  Many friends greeted us at the church, and a number of them stayed for the meal provided by the church, giving us the opportunity to remember past experiences they shared with my sister and me.

   I am grateful!  All of these people and those I forgot to mention have given me reason to have hope that the love of Jesus Christ is alive and well on planet earth.