A Day of Reunions

We were in Costco, somewhere between laundry detergent and fabric softener, when we heard our names. 

Al.  Susan.

We both glanced around and saw no one we recognized, so we kept walking.  Then we heard it again.

Al.  Susan.

When we turned around, we saw the same couple we had seen behind us a few minutes before.  Neither of us recognized them.  And I wondered who they were and why they were following us.  Were we being stalked in Costco?  And by people who knew our names?

Then the young man said You don't recognize me, do you?  When we admitted we didn't, he told us his name.  Michael Whitener.  From all those years ago in our youth group back at Trinity Baptist Church in Cayce, long before we had ever left South Carolina to begin our journey around the country.

Once he identified himself and began talking, he was a stranger no more.  Then I could see him as the grown-up Michael, this young man I hadn't seen since he was in college.  He introduced his wife.  There were hugs and laughter and everybody talking at once for at least thirty minutes.  It was a grand reunion!

Once the shopping was done and we were back in the car on the way home, I became aware of another reunion that took place yesterday.

My aunt, Anne Thomas Neil, left this world and entered heaven yesterday morning.       A grand and glorious reunion indeed.  Now in the presence of the One she loved and served so faithfully and so well in this life, and reunited with her beloved husband and family members.  I can only imagine the joy!

But even as there was joy in Heaven yesterday, there is a big hole left on earth by her passing.  There's a numbness and sadness among those closest to her that only time will heal.

I hadn't seen Aunt Anne in many years, but I have wonderful memories.  One of my favorite things about her was the way she loved and encouraged my daddy as he cared for my mother during the last years of her life.  Being a full-time caregiver is hard, and Aunt Anne frequently called and sent notes to Daddy to encourage him.  That continued even after Mother's passing, for the rest of Daddy's life.  A handwritten note is a lost art form in our high-tech world, but one Aunt Anne had mastered well.

She was a giant among women.  (And not just because she was tall and I am not!)        A woman of great influence.  Her light shined brightly in her years of missionary service in Africa.  And continued to shine brightly in the years since.  As a trailblazer.  As an encourager and mentor to many. As a mom and a meemaw.  She will be missed, but her influence lives on.

Anne Thomas Neil received many accolades in this life.  But the greatest accolade of all was awarded her yesterday, when she entered Heaven and heard these words:

"Well done, thou good and faithful servant.......enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."  (Matthew 25:21 KJV)