We celebrated the life of Wendy Lee Tedmon this morning at
Calvary. It was a grand gathering of friends and family for a beautiful service
of moving tributes and inspiring music. Even so we all felt the weight
of Wendy's sudden and untimely passing. “Weep with those who weep” was the collective
experience even when we were laughing. I am not generally given to coarse or crude
language but there was no polite way to say what I believe we were all feeling
so I began my homily in a way I believe Wendy Lee would have approved. “This
sucks. Totally” There it is plain and simple. I think heaven should have waited
for Wendy no matter how good it might be. We do not do ourselves any favors by
sugar coating the truth of loss by looking for silver linings or minimizing grief by placating ourselves with thoughts of the deceased being
better off even if they are because we sure as hell are not. That is not to say
that we are overcome by the evil that robs parents of a grown child, a husband
of a wife, children of a mother, siblings and connected family of their loved one
or friends of a delight filled life. We rail against the darkness, albeit it
with clenched teeth and weeping eye, because we believe the life, death and resurrection
of Jesus Christ has exposed death as an illusion and therefore we are able to rejoice in
hope, be patient in suffering and connect ourselves constantly to the Holy
Mystery through prayer. So despite this devastating loss we are inspired to do
what Wendy Lee did her with her life. She sang hope into despair, joy into
sorrow, faith into doubt and through her life and in her death all who were
blessed by her will honor her memory by doing justice, loving mercy and walking
humbly with God. (Micah 6:8) Godspeed Wendy Lee. You will be missed but by the
grace of God you will be always present.
Thank you, Pastor Phil, for memorializing our Wendy's spirit and life in a way that matched her temperament.
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