The Weekly Update page is extracted from a weekly e-mail sent out by
Assistant Pastor Donna Pollock
Last Saturday we said goodbye to one of our friends, Eileen Titus, 88 years old, from the last pew. “Aortic Stenosis—I could die anytime,” she said. And she did. But she claimed to be ready: “I won’t have to do my eyes anymore,” she exclaimed with a sense of anticipatory relief. She missed her husband and her other home in New York for more than seventy years.
One of her grandchildren told the story of her name. They simply called her, “Mine!” They could all lay equal claim to her affections and yet not be mistaken about the possessive personal assertion. “All mine!” Yes. No.
At the same time, our nation has experienced a loss with the death of former President George H.W. Bush, who served during what wistfully seems to have been a “kinder, gentler” time. As one of his grandsons asserts, “He was more than a great man; he was a good man.” Not only did he popularize colorful socks, but he was unashamed to practice compassion, to encourage public service, and to promote patriotism.
Loss is hard to handle when it makes a house call, especially when “good people” die. Eileen Titus and “H” will both be missed, especially in the rougher times we occupy today. But maybe their legacy can inspire us not to divide the world into winners and losers, friends and enemies. Sometimes I wonder if it’s only the “good people” who can see the good in others.
Pastor Jeff