Hope this story blesses you, Bob From my very dear friend, Pastor Bob Bean, Brunswick, Georgia “A Letter of Faith” By Robert A. Bean In the late 70’s I pastored a United Methodist Church in Nashville, Indiana. The chairman of the Pastor-Parish Committee was a special guy named, Wayne. He and his wife, Mary Jo had two small children, Andrea, and Brett. He was the pharmacist in that small town. Wayne and Mary Jo also owned and ran a restaurant near the pharmacy. They were busy people. Their family was active in their church and Boy Scouts of America. Wayne and Mary Jo put their faith in action. As the Pastor-Parish chairman, it was Wayne’s joy to assist me with any type of problems that would cause me or the congregation grief. So to speak, he was a trouble shooter for me and the congregation. If anyone had a problem with my performance, Wayne was the “go-to” guy to try and get the situation solved. If someone was giving me the blues, Wayne was the man that I was supposed to “go to.” Between the two of us, we were supposed to come up with the best possible approach to any concern that affected me or the congregation. Now this was one sharp guy. He was fun. He had a winning personality. I loved to hang around him and just enjoy the life that was in this man. Time few by when I was around Wayne. His quick eyes and easy smile always cheered me up. He seemed to “flow” through life the way I wanted to flow through life. Now neither, Wayne nor I walked on water, but we were able to do together some good things. Beside the good things was the joy and fun that we had in the process. We had some great laughs together. Wayne was always ready for the next adventure. He chewed life up with gusto! We thought those days would never end, but they did. We both moved from that beautiful little town in the mystical hills of Indiana. He went West and I went East. Then he went South to Tennessee and I went way South to Southern Georgia. We kept in tough with each other on a so so basis. Mary Jo wrote that Wayne was not feeling well after he returned from a mission trip to Nicaragua. On a trip through Chattanooga, Tennessee, I stopped to have dinner with Wayne and Mary Jo. At that time Wayne’s mind had the symptoms of frontal dementia. The light had faded and much of Wayne was not longer present. It was a sad moment. During our meal Wayne offered no new jokes. He would smile and respond to what I said with a smile, but there was no creativity, challenge, or rebuttal that used to be part of the flow of our time together in days gone by. After the meal, we went back to his home. Wayne and I were alone for a few minutes, and he was still sharp enough to know how much was missing. It hurt me inside as this humbled man told me how when no one was talking to him, he had no thoughts. I said, “Wayne that must be a terrible thing to experience.” For a moment that old shine in his eyes came back as he smiled at me with the wit of yesterdays, “Bob, It’s not so bad when you don’t have to think about anything. Try it sometimes.” I laughed with him, but it was not funny. Together we prayed and cried before I headed back to Southern, Ga. I received this letter from Mary Jo sometime later. This is a letter of faith. This is a letter of hope in the middle of the valley of the shadow of death: Dear Friends, Hopefully, your e-mail addresses are current. As youll understand as you read this, life has been very different lately and Im just now getting around to contacting you. As you know, for the past five years Wayne has been very ill. It began with symptoms of frontal dementia which eventually led to ALS (Lou Gehrigs Disease). The symptoms were present when he returned from his mission trip to Nicaragua. The best neurologists in the southeast have been baffled and current medical knowledge of no help. The afternoon of August 19th, a very courageous man finally was freed from the prison his mind and body had confined him too. As I knelt by his bedside, Wayne went home. Though we had grieved and prepared for over five years, we werent ready for that moment. But, what enabled us to accept his death is knowing that the moment I felt his last pulse, he took the Lords hand in victory and became pain-free and perfect. If you have ever known someone with Lou Gehrigs, you know the suffering was terrible for him and all bodily functions were affected. Due to his inability to swallow food, a gastro feeding tube had to be inserted. In the spring of this year, he was unable to swallow even his saliva. At the end, the only thing he was able to do was walk around the house - and walk he did, even the evening before he died. During the entire struggle, his determination and faith were a witness to everyone who knew him. Im so thankful we were able to take care of him at home, so that he was able to be where he felt safe. Andrea is an RN and was an incredible source of knowledge and skill. Our church family has been faithfully supportive to all of us and their love and caring continues to sustain me. Waynes burial was in my hometown in Indiana. I stayed there with my mother for a month to rest. Since the insertion of the tube, I had averaged maybe four hours of broken sleep every night and had not eaten very well as I just couldnt eat in front of him, much less prepare food at home where he could smell the aroma. Mother fed me well. Ive still not been able to get back into a regular sleep pattern, but that will come in time. Mother returned to Tennessee with me. In a week, I will drive her on to Florida where she spends the winters. Then Ill return to Signal Mountain and keep busy with my job at church. Though I wish I could have written that Waynes mind and body had been restored, Im thankful to be able to share his eternal victory with you. Thank you for your friendship, support and prayers. Lovingly, Mary Jo The strength Mary Jo has received comes from one of many passages in the Bible. I’ll choose just one:“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and they staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” (Psalm 23) Mary Jo knows that this really sharp guy with the winning personality that I used to love to hang around is today a really sharp guy that one day we’ll all hang around. And once again, he will be a “go-to” kind of guy for us for all eternity. Amen and Amen! Blessings to you according to Numbers 6:24-26, Bob Bean
Posted on: Mon, 07 Jul 2014 20:18:58 +0000
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