The Father

Today is Good Friday, and this morning I planned on which service I would go to. As an Episcopalian, I knew that I would be visiting St. James, but which service was a tough call. You see, ever since my father died this day has been kind of tough for me. Nine years ago, a year after my dad died,  the pastor of my church asked me if I would give the Good Friday sermon, and I agreed. It was difficult to talk about the death of the Savior, not just because I was 13 years old, but because my own father hadn't even been gone a whole year. I still have the notes from that sermon that I gave, and to me it doesn't sound that profound; however, today I opened my Bible (the same one that I have carried since two weeks before my dad died, which was given to me on the day of my confirmation), and a card slipped out. Now my Bible looks like my Grandpa Mason's basement.... I save just about everything! I have notes from Bible studies, inspirational bookmarks, pamphlets, notes, etc. so this didn't strike me as odd until I opened it. 

The card was from a woman who went to my old church. She had heard my Good Friday sermon nine years ago and was extremely moved by it. In her note, she wrote about how she too had lost her father recently, and she was inspired by me (a 13 year old) and my strength to talk about death in the way that I did. She said "Katie, your words were an epiphany to me, and now I see what it is that I must do to live my life."

It really couldn't have been a better moment to blog about (though I do know I have so many others to write about, but I wanted to share this one) because a woman from my past had once written me something that I shoved into my Bible, but now I am able to appreciate her words. She had an epiphanic experience because of a person, which I think it was Zuzu who was thinking about writing about this subject.  Anyways, I thought that was a neat start to Good Friday, but it only got better.

My family has been dealing with some pretty trying issues, and we've spent a LOT of time in hospital waiting rooms, which one of my friends knew about. He stopped by today to give me back a book, and asked if he could read me a Psalm that he'd read earlier in the day. He's been doing the Cover to Cover Bible devotional to read the whole Bible, and he apparently had thought of me when he read this one. I said yes, and before I could ask him what number he began:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah 

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters he spear, he burns the shields with fire.

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

My friend wasn't two verses in when I knew the Psalm. It was Psalm 46, which was the one that was read at my dad's burial. Weird thing about that, to me, was that my father died, and we wanted to bury him by his parents in Darien, CT, and it just so happened that the previous pastor of our church, Christopher, had become a pastor in that diocese. Not only that, but he also shared the exact birthday of my dad: June 4, 1954. As they had both turned 46 less than two weeks before my dad's death, Christopher had thought it would be appropriate to read the 46th Psalm.  

So today I had been reminded of what had happened previously, but I was able to see things in a different light. So there's my rant of the day. Sorry if it  bored ya'll.... I was pretty excited by it all because I learned that death does not equal dark epiphanies, as today's were quite refreshing!