First Goodbye...

Post date: Sep 08, 2016 3:10:29 AM

What a day. The day got kicked off at 4am by my alarm as Becky and I headed north to meet with the rest of our family. After a 7 1/2 hour drive, we ended up at the house of my Aunt and Uncle to express our love for them after the loss of their oldest and our cousin. Shortly after that we were headed on our way to the calling hours for Jeremy. Due to the connections my cousin and his wife had, and my Uncle's position at his church, we knew that there was going to be a pretty good turnout, but I don't know that we expected what we saw tonight. There were people that showed that I hadn't seen in nearly 20 years. Each expressing their love for Jeremy, and for our families, the Walkers and the Czyzs. The lines snaked through the pews at church and spilled into the parking lot, extending hundreds of feet from the building. They had to drive people on shuttles from local parking lots. The afternoon spilled into the evening and 5 1/2 hours later, the line was gone.

So many times in today's political climate we hear about the "legacy" of those in positions of authority. We often tag "things" as the legacy of a person. My cousin was a mere 40 years old at his passing. He wasn't famous....far from it. He spent many years in a worship leader role in the churches he was involved in, he taught for a couple years and took various other jobs throughout his adult life. He was....average. What God did with him, was anything but average. Keep in mind, Jeremy wasn't perfect. He had his flaws...some would say many flaws....others would say that is an underestimate. The reality is though, that the legacy that Jeremy left behind was that of people that he touched in his ministry, his friendship and with his leadership. Yeah, there were many there that were only there to support other family members that may have never met my cousin, but the reality is that even those people standing in line for 3+ hours had to ask, what was so special about this guy that drew in what seemed like thousands......

Tomorrow we say our final goodbyes to Jeremy. I know that some like to say "it is more like a 'so long'", but in reality it is a goodbye. The guy that we knew yesterday won't ever walk the earth again. When he is in his heavenly body, he is someone else. Transformed by grace and the power that only God in heaven possesses. I am ok with it being a goodbye knowing that the legacy that he and his family have left behind is one that I am sure will be felt for generations to come.