For Janet

So I only knew Janet for about 2 years. But as some of my friends will tell you, that's a long time in my book. I met Janet through Gary while he was attending classes with me through CCU at Indian Creek.

My first image of Janet was that of a diligent wife. She was always by Gary's side. She was supportive and ready with anything he may have needed. She always had healthy snacks packed for him, and extras for us. She sat quietly in our classrooms and occasionally offered her opinion or thoughts. That's when the magic happened.

When Janet opened her mouth the words that came out were beautiful. I wouldn't say that I would consider her quiet, but she never seemed obligated to talk. Her words were well crafted, always edifying and filled with so much love.

Janet was filled with love in everything she did. You could see the love dancing in her eyes like sparks flying as she talked about her kids, the church kids, the teens, her friends or almost anyone she met. She had learned to see with God's eyes. She saw each person as the part of God they had been created to be like. I could tell that with each new person she met her understanding of God became more complete.

Janet was such a good friend. I knew that no matter what idea was all of the sudden important to me, Janet would be willing to listen to me ramble on about it. She would talk with me about the things God was putting on my heart and share her heart with me as well.

I'm not sure why God called her home when He did. I know that a life like hers could never be fully finished. She would always have had more work she wanted to do, more people she wanted to love, more hugs she needed to share. But one thing I'm sure of is that she is now completely healed.

There's a picture on facebook of Janet next to a stone wall. There are these super determined flowers coming through the wall, blooming in their purple splendor. I commented for Gary that this was a perfect representation of Janet. She was a determined flower, pushing its way through the stone of life circumstances and hard hearts, to show God's full royal beauty to anyone willing to stop and see.

Thank you, Gary, for sharing Janet with us while you had her here. Thank you, God, for using Janet to inspire and motivate me to be a more loving person. And thank you, Janet for responding every day to the call of God on your life and loving completely.

My life will never be the same.