Those are the words I imagine Lorna Joseph heard on Monday, October 12th, as she breathed her last and then passed through the valley of the shadow of death.
I appreciated Lorna's lovely spirit. Despite needing a double lung transplant, and although she often had to carry her oxygen tank around with her, she had the most bubbly and dynamic personality one could ever meet. I didn't know her for long since Cathie and I only came into the church fellowship in more recent days. But, every time I talked with her, Lorna gave me an abiding sense of the presence of her Lord.
Paul talked about the aroma that believers give off as others come close by. Lorna Joseph was one of those whose personality caused me to linger by the church pew as she gathered her things before leaving the building. Then, as we became better friends at The Gathering Place, she seemed to take a turn for the better. One day she arrived and said, "I've been healed!" She told everyone gathered there that the doctors had permitted her to stop using the oxygen. Her lungs had shown a remarkable turn for the better. She would no longer need surgery.
But that improvement only lasted 18 months or so. Today, we are preparing to say a final goodbye, whether we are at her funeral personally or some other way. Thank you, special friend. You have been a servant to so many people, and now the Lord has called you to your eternal home. You left the presence of Jesus Christ in many lives, and because of that, we are blessed.
Well said, David. Lorna was special, indeed.
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