Just Proud That's All

So often my little blogs are to remember people or things and occasionally I write because I have been inspired. This would be one of those times. Let me tell you about this woman.

This is a woman who goes through life with an open heart. This may seem like a cliché but I assure you it is the absolute truth about this woman. You see, she has worked a number of years in service to the United Methodist Church. Most times she is in the background and frankly, she really prefers it that way. While she works in the background assisting and nurturing each year a new group of aspiring pastors. She does it because she loves what she does and she really loves being connected to so many impressive Christian leaders to come. You may be saying well big deal, what’s so special about that?

This weekend we were privileged, and I mean that in the most sincere way, to sit on our sofa together and watch another annual conference for the UMC. I did more than watch the conference. I watched her. She named every aspiring candidate by their full name before the Bishop would. She could tell me details about these special people that I would venture even some family members would not remember. While this is inspiring alone there is another aspect of this process I watched. I watched Linda’s eyes light up with each ordination and I watched tears of joy flow from her during this process that really put me in awe.

We go to our jobs day by day and push through and once in a while might experience some sort of satisfaction in some way but whenever I watch Linda during one of these conferences I have pangs of envy that while not healthy are real. I will likely never experience what she seems to experience but I am at least the beneficiary of second hand satisfaction.

She may not be there many more conventions but I know that when that chapter ends she will surely miss those intense moments. I know I will. I say this not to brag on her, although I am happy to do that, I say this because I have never been more proud of anyone and more inspired by anyone in my life. She is not a Methodist but you would not know that by the pride she shows in her candidates that she helped through their process. I just wanted to get this out. The really neat thing is long when Linda and I have gone to our glory, there will be a large flock of shepherds in the United Methodist Church that I know for sure will never forget her.