Rejoice

Today I stood and cheered with a crowd to celebrate that one of the most amazing woman of God I have ever known made it home.

Dana was beautiful and her spirit was even more beautiful. I regret that I never got to study the Bible with her but feel blessed to have known in the small way I did. Today Barry asked us to take all of our memories, all of the ways Dana had touched our lives and share them with others. We were challenge to move slowly today and share the stories. This is my story.

I remember Dana’s smile more than anything and her laughter. My best memory of Dana is at a friend’s wedding shower. While I can not share the stories we shared over that brunch (they are not appropriate for everyone) I can share that I don’t think there was a moment that whole afternoon our table wasn’t laughing hysterically. We weren’t laughing at Dana we were laughing with her as she shared precious stories of her wedding and first few years with Barry. But Dana always had a smile that could light up any room. Whether it was in Roanoke after a “gazillion” (Dana’s exact word and probably mine too) softball games or just passing in the church hallway I will always remember the joy Dana had.

Last night another part of Dana’s life inspired me. As I flipped through pages of her beautiful scrapbooks. I don’t think there was anything Dana and Barry hadn’t done in life. They took every adventure that came their way, whether good or bad and enjoyed every minute of it. They embraced life to the fullest. Dana is an inspiration to me as a writer, as a Bible study teacher, as a friend, and as a child of God. To love deeply, to enjoy the small moments and to take LOTS of pictures and scrapbook them all.

So as Barry encouraged us to live out the legacy we knew of Dana and maybe me making a New Year’s Resolution a few days early I am committing to rejoice always. To never let myself get to serious. But to always be able to laugh at myself. To sit with friends and enjoy every minute of their company. To take any adventure that comes my way. I know many of you reading this probably didn’t have the privilege of knowing Dana. But as we celebrated her life today I just want to encourage you to laugh, to love, and to enjoy every moment of life. You never know when God will call you home – let’s make every minute count.

Orginally written: December 20, 2009