Remembering My Friend

Remembering My Friend,  her name is Trudy.

She was not just a friend to me, she had many friends.

But she always laughed at my jokes, asked for my recipes and cried when I shared sad happenings.

She also came to the weekly Bible Study I shared in my home, and I don’t recall a single one she missed in the last four years.

She was faithful….and she was a Pastor’s wife….and she always read my blog posts.

Last week, she went home to be with the Lord.

When I had Pancreatic Cancer, she gave me encouragement.

I remember one particular time as I lay in my sick bed, she told me to feel Jesus’ arms around me and I closed my eyes and felt His presence.

When the Captain and I came to First Christian Church of Cape Coral, she was one of the first to welcome us.

We were acquainted friends at first and then a few years later, she asked me to host and put together the annual Ladies “Joy in the Journey” all day program.

We worked side by side with about 5 other ladies planning the music, program, breakfast, lunch and door prize give-a-ways.

I will never forget holding the microphone in one hand as Trudy handed me a fragile door prize and it slipped from my grip as I was handing it to the recipient and it shattered into a  million pieces. I looked into Trudy eyes and she looked into my eyes and we were speechless as the sweet lady saw her figurine and prize lay at her feet.  (Needless to say we gave her another prize, but it was the closeness that Trudy and I shared, no matter the circumstance)

But that was Trudy.  Everyone loved her and she loved them.

I have many pictures of my friend, Trudy as she was in my home every Friday for our Bible Study.  And as bloggers, we take pictures of any event. 🥰

I would like to share a few pictures with you.

We celebrate birthdays in our Bible Study group and these pics are of her birthday last year.  

I like to plan ahead for these special events and I was planning Trudy’s birthday this year as her birthday, March 28th falls on Friday.

Trudy died just a couple weeks before her birthday.

You might have noticed the bottles in the above photo, And yes, our study group have celebrated a few occasions with Welch’s Sparkling Juice Cocktails!  🥰 

I usually make a dessert every Friday, but this particular day, I purchased Trudy’s cake. 

I apologized for not making her cake and she exclaimed…”are you kidding me?  I am thrilled with this cake because growing up, I never had a cake that was bought just for me.” (She shared her birthday with her twin brother.)

That was our sweet Trudy.

Below I have intertwined a few Birthday celebrations of our group with pictures of Trudy in our study group..

In looking at that pic, it seems we all got the memo on wearing blue! Could that be for Kentucky or Kansas? LOL)

I believe you can see the joy in each of these photos of the love this Bible group has for each other.

 

Originally, our Bible study started out as about a one hour of Bible study, prayer and of course snacking on a dessert.

But it soon evolved into a sometimes four or five hour event…We always have such a good time of Bible study, fellowship, praying and sharing that we would lose all track of time.

Perhaps I should explain how this group got started.  Before my cancer, the Captain and I hosted a monthly over 50’s group as our ministry at our church.

When I was ill, of course it was all cancelled.

When God healed me, I prayed and asked Him what sort of ministry could I do now since it was obvious I was not able to continue with the over 50 group dinners, etc.  I not only needed to be off my feet for long periods, I also needed to be near the Ladies Room.  And then one day, I felt having a ladies only, small Bible Study group in my home, was manageable.  I prayed about it and asked “who should or could I teach?” My first thought was I would like ladies more my age who would understand my health situation…but how presumptuous would I be to TEACH those who were so mature and knowledgeable in the Word.

I kept praying and in July of 2021, God laid on my heart a few names. I invited a few of the ladies to my home… at which time I told them about my vision as I served them homemade Lemonade. 

After we drank our Lemonade, I cleared the table, spread a plaid tablecloth and presented them with box lunches. 

I attached this poem “The Weaver” by B.M. Franklin to the top of the box lunch.

“The Weaver

My life is but a weaving between my Lord and me;

I cannot choose the colors He worketh steadily.

Oft times He weaveth sorrow and I, in foolish pride,

forget He sees the upper, and I the underside.

Not til the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly,

Shall God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful in the Weaver’s skillful hand,

As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned.”

― Benjamin Malachi Franklin

I felt this described my situation and it became one of many poems, songs, and anecdotes I would share with my friends.

That day, I served Lemonade with home made chicken salad sandwiches, potato salad, coleslaw and I purchased small pies from Wal-Mart.

Trudy commented ‘if we could have lunches like this, she would not miss the week of Bible Study.’  She had a great sense of humor and she was true to her word.

The point is the ladies were all excited and the rest is history. 

Our journey began.

It wasn’t that we excluded our husbands.  The Captain and I hosted a Kentucky Derby Party one Saturday in May in conjunction with the running of the Kentucky Derby and here we are in our hats.

Once or twice, I had our Bible Study at a park with facilities close by.

And then there was the time the Captain and I made an Italian dinner for Trudy and her husband Arlin.

The photo below was after Hurricane Ian where our first service was held outside our church.  Trudy and her husband Arlin are sitting near the church van.

The photo below was celebrating my birthday…my friends arranged it all.

I love to make them snacks and the ladies were/are always appreciative.

The photo below was a going away party for one of our Bible Study Ladies and her husband. That evening, husbands were included of course.  We were so sad to see them move out of state.  We have deliberately kept a small intimate group of friends as it is easier for me to work with.  So when one moves away, I prayerfully ask for God’s guidance in replacing them. 

Trudy loved to sing and had a beautiful voice, however in recent years she felt she couldn’t sing as well. 

I also love to sing and when I would think of an old hymn or I would hear a song on the radio, that spoke to my heart, I would share it with the ladies.  I would make copies of the lyrics and they could follow along as I re-played the song on my computer. 

On Friday, I shared the Matthew West song “Don’t Stop Praying” and Trudy, my friend commented on loving the first stanza.

“What’s your impossible? Your “I need a miracle”

What’s got you barely hanging by a single thread?

What looks so hopeless now? What weighs down your heart with doubt?

You beg for a breakthrough, but no sign of breakthrough yet

When you’ve cried, and you’ve cried ’til your tears run dry

The answer won’t come, and you don’t know why

And you wonder if you can bow your head even one more time

Chorus:

Don’t stop praying

Don’t stop calling on Jesus’ name

Keep on pounding on Heaven’s door

And let your knees wear out the floor

Don’t stop believing

‘Cause mountains move with just a little faith

And your Father’s heard every single word you’re saying

So, don’t stop praying”

On Wednesday, about two hours before my friend was rushed to the hospital, Trudy texted me and said again how much she loved that song and she thanked me for sharing it 

It was sudden as Trudy was with us one day and then she had a brain aneurysm and passed away.

I must also tell you that Trudy suffered with tremors and had recently been thinking about a possible brain surgery to “maybe” correct this condition.  She hadn’t visited a doctor yet, as she was just thinking about it.

I like to believe that God said, “nope, we are not going that route…I’m just going to bring you home.”

We won’t know for sure until we get to Heaven where God will ‘unroll the canvas’.

Our group lost a dear friend.

We were/are more than just friends.

We are sisters and although we rejoice when a loved one goes to Heaven; we cry for the empty hole in our hearts when they leave us.

We cried for Trudy our friend.

We are still crying, but we know we will see her one day and we will be laughing together again.

We used to tease each other at our Bible studies if one of us would forget something or did something silly….that it would be great if we all ended up in the same nursing home so we would be able to continue our journey together.

We will have to postpone that gathering but I cling to this wonderful hymn:

1. “Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
   Sing His mercy and His grace;
   In the mansions bright and blessed
   He’ll prepare for us a place.
   When we all get to heaven,
   What a day of rejoicing that will be!
   When we all see Jesus,
   We’ll sing and shout the victory!”

Thank you for reading “Remembering My Friend”

Blessings Always and good-bye Trudy, my friend..til we meet again.

 

 

Psalm 27:9   Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy, for good friends are like the anointing oil that yields the fragrant incense of God’s presence.