It was a beautiful service for a beautiful lady.  I attended the funeral service for Christy Schulte today in Wichita Falls.  I have known Christy and her family for almost 23 years.  She was 49 years old . I put on my dark suit and made the trek to Wichita Falls today for one reason.  I wanted to support members of Christy’s family, who are all dear friends.  I love each of them.  They are quite a crew to say the least!  As I approached the church parking lot thirty minutes prior to the beginning of the service, I was not at all surprised to discover that it was quite full already.  But I had no clue at that point what an impact a funeral  for one of my contemporaries was about have on me.

My longtime friend and mentor, Larry Suttle, did an amazing job handling the service.  I was so moved by his insightful commentary. I told someone at the cemetery that I want to do funerals as well as he does when I grow up.  He pointed out that she was the first one in her family to graduate from college. He lauded her for using her education to serve in a people-helping profession. His observations about her dedication to her family were very fitting and accurate.  And then he made an interesting comment that was directed especially to her two precious girls, Briana and Brynn.

He said something to the effect that they have a new ministry now. They have a new calling to comfort others as they have been comforted during a time of tremendous loss.  Comforting others is the last thing on their minds right now, but Larry is correct.  They will soon understand precisely what he means.  When you have lost a loved one, you feel deep compassion for those who are facing a similar circumstance.  You are better qualified to serve those in grief.  I know this to be true from personal experience.

My original dream in becoming a minister was to train as a hospital chaplain so I could comfort people as I had been comforted.  The chaplaincy role in a hospital never happened.  But the opportunities to serve people in grief have abounded over the years.  I must admit there are times when I wonder if I should be doing something else.  I have days when I think I really should be selling used cars at Honest Joe’s Car Lot.

As I listened to Larry today, I was reminded of the importance of staying with our sense of purpose.  Comforting others in times of trauma and loss is an important task.   Those of us who have experienced losses at a young age have a special responsiblitity to reach out in this way.  As we were filing out of the church this afternoon, I caught Briana’s eye for just a second. The vulnerability expressed by her eyes moved me to tears. I was instantly grateful that the service for her mother was handled with such grace and dignity.

I feel for her tonight. I feel for her sister and their good father, as well.  But I am confident those girls will be comforting others at some point in the not-so-distant future.  They are good girls, and they have they have had a wonderful role model and mother to emulate.  I drove home tonight pondering all of these things.

Images of Christy sitting in her place at church on Sunday morning with two cute little preschool-aged girls  flashed though my mind. That is going back a few years… But mostly I thought about fulfilling a calling…
The service today inspired me to work harder than ever at serving those in need of comfort.  And I realized that those two preschool-aged girls are grown women now.  Their pain is profound today, but I am confident they will fulfill their minstry of comfort very well.  I wonder who will be blessed by their kindness.  I don’t know…  But I do know their mother would be very proud.  She was a beautiful lady on the inside as well as the outside.  It was a beautiful day to have a service for a beautiful lady.