Beyond

February 10, 2015

Yes, it is Florida.And evening. AND COLD.
But we went for Ice Cream - at Allen's.
This is what we do on February 10.

And each year, just like this year, we will determine for it to be a very good day. And it was.

For as long as there is an Allen's and as long as there is a bench - rain or shine - we will go.

This was another one of Roger's favorite places.

Roger's Bench - it is fondly called.  He rarely, if ever, sat inside the ice cream shop. He almost daily had his cup of Allen's coffee on his bench.

When we paid for our treats, Jacob entered Roger's phone number, as we most often do.  He had hundreds of visits here in the few years this shop has been open. He has more now.

Before it was Allen's Creamery, it was Avriett Dental.  Roger might have been Dr. Avriett's longest consistent patient. He introduced me to Dr. Avriett after we were engaged. I changed dentists immediately after meeting him and have never looked back.  It's about time for Dr. Avriett to retire, but I will always love him. He always told me that my teeth were good and he never made any money off of me. Always with a laugh, of course.   He and Roger had really long visits. They were not so much about repairing teeth as they were about Tennessee Vols football.   No matter the time of year that the visit fell, there was a chat about football. Vols football.  "Old Doc" might retire, but "young Doc - Alan - followed in "Old Doc's" footsteps, so our teeth are in good hands!

I'm glad for tradition. I'm glad that our little dental office did not meet the wrecking ball when the practice moved down the street and grew. I'm glad we have this little community meeting place called the "Creamery."  I hope it stands for a long time.

I'm glad that Roger got to view his favorite little town and the people in it from this bench. It is on Main Street, with a great view of the Police Station, Town Hall, and the roundabout.

On his final afternoon run, a year ago, he followed his favorite course. Our house - south to the Isleworth wall - north on Main Street to Allen's.  Cup of coffee enjoyed from his bench.

From that bench on that Monday afternoon, he enjoyed greetings from quite a number of local friends and quite a few children - young people that he loved. "Hi, Mr. Roger!"   He loved it. I know he was smiling, laughing, waving back.

Off to finish the run......

North on Main street to the canal bridge.  Turn around and head home, south on Main Street.

The only difference this time was that at First and Main, he entered his portal to Heaven.

In an instant.
But not alone.   Jesus never leaves us alone.

I'm thankful for each person who was there with him at that time.

Susan, who was minding her own business, driving home after a stressful afternoon, but saw Roger and knew she would cross paths with him at the intersection and that he would stop to talk to her...and even more, that he would improve her day.
She turned the corner, rolled down the window, and was there the very second he was in distress.
And she jumped into action to help.   Calling 911, helping him, seeing that family was reached....  She was likely the last face he saw on earth, and it was the smiling face (always smiling) of someone who loved seeing him.

The mystery runner that we never found. We call him an angel on the run.

The detective who saw an incident and stopped to assist.

The WPD officer, Jeff, who still checks in on us regularly.

Ocoee Engine 39 - they responded so quickly, worked diligently and never stopped.

And everyone we met at Health Central, they never gave up even when logic said to do so.

That does not even count the friends who came running immediately.

In so many ways, it still seems like yesterday, and yet a year has passed.

But in this past year, God has shown Himself to us in so many ways. We determined that we would continue to live and continue to laugh and do our very best to encourage others in any and every situation where our paths crossed with someone else.

For the most part, I think we did ok.  I know for a fact that I experienced this "mysterious thing" -  this amazing, most wonderful part of the walk of a Believer - called "The Comforter."

It really is something, someone, you can not explain, but it is far more than just a word, or something that in my own existence I can think of as comfort. I mean, how do you find comfort when your soul mate is gone? How do you find comfort when your very existence is so totally turned upside down?  How do you find comfort when experiencing such sadness?

There is no explanation except that God promised it to His Children.

His Child.  This is no small thing.  His Child, because years ago I made that decision to follow Christ and try my best, with His help, to follow His leading....not by works, not by doing stuff, but simply by trusting Him, in faith.  

Life has it's ups and downs, for sure, but the older I get, the more I appreciate this thing called the Christian Life. It is not something so mysterious. It is not mystical. It is not something to fear. And most of all, it is not something where you have to be perfect, or close to it, before you can become a part of it.

What it is though, is a personal choice. No one could make that decision for Roger, nor for me, nor for any family member, or friend, or reader.  It is the truest of DIY projects, I guess. You have to Do It Yourself - ask for forgiveness, not from some 'big sin' - but man, life itself is almost a sin, isn't it? I mean, how in the world do we do anything that pleases God in and of ourselves? In this day and age, no one really wants to call anything sin. It causes too much discomfort, or offense, or lack of consideration.  One man's sin is another man's pleasure. (What is right in your own eyes, God calls it)  But to God - well, that is for another day. We each will face Him in due time, like it or not, believe it or not.  That is pretty simple.

No matter how hard any of us try, we still exit this earth with plenty of 'sin' on our plate - yet God is still there, still loves, accepts, forgives.  Sometimes people know the days are few - and that might be a gift.  If Roger knew, he never let anyone else know, but I think he didn't know the day or the hour  - but he was one with His Saviour that day.  Sometimes I just wish I could hear his thoughts from that afternoon. He never ran with music, only with his thoughts. He was ready for eternity. His life, which we have examined for a year now, showed us that.  But he was not perfect. None of us are.

But he is enjoying the glory of Heaven, of Christ, of Eternity.

And we are enjoying - we are enjoying earthly life because The Comforter - who I have come to believe is Christ - revealing Himself in many ways, from the mystery runner, to the friends, to even random things like cardinals appearing at the perfect time - just little things - He shows that He cares and that He has never left us. And He never will. I fully believe that.

So - for a year - He has shown me so much. And I surely do hope He does not have a deadline of a year, like I planned to have with writing and recording memories.

I love that God allowed me to be able to see Roger and record memories of the most random things, both big and small.  A gift for my children, I decided at first.  I think it was more a gift for me.

As Jacob and I placed flowers at First and Main, like we often do, we also enjoyed the new little plants at the base of the little pine tree that sits closest to Roger's 'Portal."

We guessed that Susan had been there.  We can't wait to see the flowers bloom and have guessed that they might be red.

Roger's favorite color was red. Red also means Fire Department.

Roger's Lesson:  Red also means Blood of Christ and that is the most important thing to remember about red, because with out the cleansing power of that blood, your eternity is going to be mighty bleak. 

Tonight, reflecting back on my day of Feb. 10, I feel like I might write some more.  Today, I just do not know if I will write again.

Tonight, I think the drama of February 2014 was only practice for the coming drama of 2015.  Writing was really good 'therapy' for me - if we call it that.  Looking back, I can see where God has brought me and things He has taught me. Hopefully I have grown. Hopefully my faith is stronger.

We hope the 2015 drama will be easy drama, but we have no idea. What we do know is that Jesus carried us through 2014 and He will carry us through 2015  - and beyond.

And I am so thankful for the many people for whom I prayed on this special day. Crossing paths - destined by God - is a really good thing.