Almost a year and a half ago now I spent my first Thursday with Wayne. Wayne and I were two very different people, yet we had one thing in common – time. My kids were both in school, so I had spare time during the day. Wayne had ALS and had just stopped working, which also freed up his daily schedule. When I found out that Wayne needed help a few hours a week, I decided to volunteer for the job.
At first I thought it might be awkward – a stay-at-home mom fixing lunch for a middle-aged man. I also thought conversation could be strained. Would we talk about his illness or would there be an elephant in the room? I soon found there was no cause for worry because Wayne made me feel right at home the minute I walked in his door. His surprising candor about his illness and imminent death stomped out any elephant I could’ve imagined.
When I first volunteered to spend time at Wayne’s, we had decided to read books together. We did end up reading through a couple of Christian books, but we usually did more talking than reading! It was hard to get much reading in when I asked a lot of questions and Wayne told a lot of stories!
As Wayne’s illness progressed, our time together stretched from a few hours to a full day. We would drink coffee, eat breakfast and lunch, and then Wayne would rest and I would go home. When we weren’t eating a meal or drinking coffee, we would discuss. I loved to listen to Wayne share his unique perspective on life. I admired how he lived life to the fullest and always had a positive attitude, even though he had every right to be negative about the cruel disease that was ravaging his body.
During our time together God allowed both good and bad things into his life. I watched him closely, and saw that he never blamed God or wished that his life was different. I hope if I was ever in a situation like that, I would be as faithful to God as Wayne was.
You’ve probably noticed that I’ve written this entry in the past tense. That’s because Wayne went to “meet Jesus,” as my daughter says, a few days ago. Today is the first Thursday after his death. My calendar for today still reads “Wayne.” It was my day to visit – and thankfully I’ll be spending one last Thursday with Wayne. Today is his “Celebration of Life.” There will be a visitation, a service and a praise team singing songs that Wayne chose himself.
Today we will celebrate a life well-lived. We will celebrate a man who stared a horrible disease in the face and fought back with all of his might. Personally, I will celebrate my friend and brother in Christ. Wayne, today I will remember the precious gift you gave me – the gift of Thursdays - the gift of your time.
Scripture: James 1:2-5
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of time. Please help us to remember that our time can be given as a gift to others. Help us to leave time in our schedules to be there for others. Thank you for the example Wayne set as he was faithful to you during both the good and bad times he experienced. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
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