Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

EN(dur)ANCE by Robin Gudal

 

Have you ever met someone that changed your life and yet it was only a brief encounter? That’s my friend George.

I met George and Lynne whilst on a David Jeremiah cruise; Greggy and I were blessed by his brothers to be the chaperons for his parents a handful of years ago. One of my new friends from the cruise invited me to teatime. That is where I met them. I sat down across from this older, gray-haired, debonair, gold chain-toting, smiley man and his sweet, quiet wife.

He did most of the talking, well, I did, but only as he asked question after question of me. I literally remember leaning in across the table. I was automatically drawn to him. I never asked his name; we just chatted away like we’d known each other all our lives. It was an emotional conversation.

As we visited, he told me I reminded him of his sister, Audrey. With a tear in his eye, this strong man sitting before me was gently emotional.

“Well,” I said. “Is that good or bad?”

“Oh, that’s good, very good,” Lynne piped in.

George continued by saying with a choked response, “I have only ever met one other person that reminded me of her.” The conversation then trailed off.

I went my way as the tea was over. I went back to the cabin beaming; I rattled on and on about this man I met. Greggy asked me his name.

“Oh, I didn’t ask. Oh dear! I hope I see him again.”

He was not with the David Jeremiah group and there was a lot of people on this cruise. I prayed I would see him once more. A day later as the ship stopped on the island Half Moon Bay, I saw him from a distance. I went running toward him, like a little girl, hollering and waving my arms! I introduced him to Greggy and we took a picture together. We exchanged emails and from there our relationship continued, until this past Thanksgiving.

I tried to reach out several times, but he didn’t respond. So, I wrote a letter. I received an email back. You know how when an email comes in on your phone, you can see just the first few words? I stopped in my tracks and the tears began to roll down my face! Lots of tears. I didn’t want to read the email. We have all gotten that call, that email, that letter.

Revelation 21:4: “And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

George was a proud Canadian, my friend and a solid Christian man; he passed away from pneumonia in December. He left me with a special note of remembrance of his sister, his growing up and kind words that are etched on my heart forever. Blessed be his memory. George, you changed me!

Robin (Beckman) Gudal, intentional in life, is a wife, momma, nana, friend, and a flawed and imperfect follower of Jesus.