November 7th: "Our Saints"
Sunday, November 7th, 2021
"Our Saints"
Psalm 24 reading
Our Saints: Bill & Sylvia Spearman (Scripture Reading Psalm 24)
Sylvia, my alto choir-mate; a former social worker, she counseled this good advice often “It is what it is” - she died unexpectedly, we had no chance to spend time with he before she died. I have her funeral card in my choir folder, so every time I open it, I can say a prayer and feel her presence.
Bill, I called him “Professor” from the day I first participated in the Adult Sunday School before church. He was brilliant man, married to a brilliant women, and both were kind and humble, and as a neophyte member of the church, I much appreciated their love for me, and all in our congregation.
When Bill was nearing the end of his life, Steve and I dropped by his home, unannounced. One of the grandchildren answered the door and said the family was not accepting visitors. We had our guitar and mandolin in hand and said, “We’d just like 5 minutes to sing him a couple of songs.” The grandson left the door and came back a couple of minutes later and invited us in. Bill was sleeping but the family said “Go ahead and sing to him, he’ll hear you.” And we did. And he woke almost immediately with a big grin on his face. When we finished he expressed his gratitude for us coming and lifting his spirits. On the last time we visited Bill, the family told us he was pretty much in a coma, but come in and sing to him. Again, he woke, and smiled as his family joined us in singing with him. When we were ready to leave, Bill motioned me over and I bent down to hear his voice. He told me, that the music we brought to him and others, and the children’s music program were great gifts to our church, and don’t ever let anyone let you stop! Two days later, we heard the news of his death.
Our Saints: Jeanne Grether & Jeanne Armour (Scripture Reading Hebrews 12:1-3)
I called our little after church conclave at the back of the sanctuary after church on Sundays, the meeting of “The Three Jeannies”. Jeanne Grether and Jeanne Armour were both wonderful role models for me. Jeanne Grether and her husband and children (our own Mary Ligon) spent many years in Thailand as missionaries. The first day I met Jeanne was when they’d returned from their missionary work and we dedicated a wooden cross they’d brought back to our church for the communion table. If you’ve traveled overseas, you know what a project that would be to pack that cross in your suitcase and travel a few thousand miles and lots of plane changes to get it back to FUPC. When Jeanne was wearing down, I made her a 3-D heart hanging, made from sixteen small 3-D hearts. Mary told me that Jeanne had her hang it over her breakfast table, so she could see it several times every day and remember my kindness.
Jeanne Armour, like Jeanne Grether, was an unfailing believer in God and Jesus Christ. Steve and I used to visit her in her private apartment at Hillcrest to chat and sing with her. She was strong and vital, but one day asked us to come the next day and sing. She was going to be having (kidney?) surgery the day following our visit. When we arrived at the appointed time, she wasn’t in her apartment and we were told she was expecting us in the Hillcrest hair salon! When we found her in the waiting room with several other residents in line to be, what I always call “Beautipied”, she said get your instruments, we’re going to sing right here. And the whole waiting room was singing with us in no time. When she was called back to the stylist, she said OK, one more: my favorite hymn: “How Great Thou Art”. What a sound we all made. Jeanne was so happy, even with a tear in her eye. We said we’d come visit in the hospital and sing
some songs with her and she said that would be very nice. But then added, “I want you two to know, I’m not one bit afraid of this surgery. I am at peace and ready to meet my maker, and not afraid to die.” Driving home I turned to Steve and said: “That sounded like a final goodbye to me.” He agreed. We wondered if she’d make it through that surgery. She did, but then we heard there was some complications, and she died.
Our Saints: Heather Janssen (Scripture Reading Revelation 21:1-6a
When Heather Janssen was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, she was married and had 4 little girls. As best as I remember they were approximately 9, 7, 4 and 2 years old. Katie, Emily, Megan and Eliza. We’d been friends from the day she came to FUPC (there were just 3 children then). We (and by “we” I mean FUPC) were with her when Eliza was born, her diagnosis, her divorce, her treatments, and her dying. Heather was certain she would beat the cancer so she could see her girls to adulthood. Even a few days before she left this world, she believed that. Despite her strong belief in God, she died, surrounded by her children. That was a really hard time for them and for FUPC, and for all who loved her. The times when I would be overcome with grief, I focused on the good times I had with Heather. She helped me with the first Christmas pageant I wrote, and as a writer herself with her own column/blog, her help was much welcomed. We talked books, because we both loved to read books. She was old enough to be my daughter and I valued her letting me treat her and her daughters as such. She was a firecracker! And funny. And faithful. She’d grown up in a conservative Evangelical Christian church and had spent part of her childhood with her family in Chile where they were missionaries. Her stories about her childhood version of faith, fascinated me. The only vestige of that faith period in her life visible in our church services, was when she’d get so taken by the Holy Spirit, she’d sit or stand and sway and wave her hands in the air. And there was a very occasional, “Hallelujah”. When she’d be on drives to Denver for treatment, she would call me on her cell and say, lets sing a song! She’d usually pick something from one of my then annual mix-tape CDs. One she took as an anthem, so we sang it a lot: “A Gathering of Spirits” by Carrie Newcomer. Here’s the chorus:
“Let it go my love, my truest
Let it sail on silver wings.
Life’s a twinkling that’s for certain But it’s such a fine thing.
There’s a gathering of spirits There’s a festival of friends
And we’ll take up where we left off When we all meet again.”
She said you already know, that if I don’t survive this, it is absolutely imperative that my “Celebration” include “Be Still My Soul” (which we’d sung as a duet in church with Steve playing guitar). But. I’d really like “The Gathering of Spirits” to be included. Please try and make sure that happens. Well, Heather had hundreds of friends and a large family. I had no authority to make that happen. But after the church service, I sang it to myself as a prayer to her. I’m so glad to have been able sing a bit of it for you today. Like Sylvia, Heather was also a choir-mate; a soprano with a heavenly voice. I keep a beautiful photo of her, right next to Sylvia’s, in my choir folder. They’re both always smiling at me.
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