Tuesday, November 15, 2011
“YOU WILL BE SORELY MISSED BY ME AND ALL THE LIVES YOU HAVE TOUCHED”
Today I said, as Christians call it, “See you later” which I know I will one day. I am writing this to her family, friends and those who didn’t know her to show how much of a Christian woman, friend and inspiration she was to me these last 14 years. I remember when Brenda Bea Piper Stephens first told us about Alva United Methodist Church, here was this little country church with nothing but warmth and friendly people who surrounded it and two of them that were there to greet and meet everyone and anyone who walked thru those doors was Buddy and Gwen Lippincott. Gwen was the nursery school teacher there at Alva United and was Brittney’s first nursery Sunday school teacher. I remembered that day well when I had to take Brittney to Ms Gwen’s classroom I was so worried about how Brittney would act up and would want to be with her parents but Gwen….Gwen had a special place for all children who walked thru those doors of her nursery school. Gwen had a way with “ALL” children, she had the patience, the strength, the love and most of all the LOVE OF GOD IN HER to do so. Over the years I have always taught my girls to respect their elders, to listen to them, to hear their stories as I did growing up as they will mean so much to you later on down the road. I relished in listening to Ms Gwen every time her and I talked, there was a moment when I got to church I couldn’t wait to talk with her to listen to what she had to say, she reminded me of my grandmother in so many ways. She was always there for me in our own little private talks that no one knew about over the course of the years and she was true to me as a TRUE CHRISTIAN FRIEND AND A CHRISTIAN GRANDMOTHER FIGURE FOR ME. She knew my difficulties in life and what I faced every day over the years past but kept true to her word and between us. She always had this bright beautiful smile always, never heard her complain and always had a kind loving word no matter what. As a matter of fact, every Sunday mornings at church when we would stand up and do our GREET AND MEET with all in the church I couldn’t wait for Ms Gwen to be my first hug and I would always ask her every Sunday, “How are you doing Ms Gwen?” And every Sunday she would always tell me “I cant complain, it’s a glorious day the Lord has given us” every single time without missing a beat and she would follow it by saying “These precious children are such a gift from God” and when the children would go up and sing their little songs like they do I would be sitting 1 or 2 rows back and watch Ms Gwen as she sat there with her beautiful smile on, clapping her hands and singing right along with the little ones. I had always thanked her no matter what for being there for talking with me all these years and being such an inspiration to me that I can only pray that one day I would be the same Christian woman, friend, mother, daughter, grandmother and great grandmother that she was, AND IM HERE TO TELL YA, THOSE ARE SOME PRETTY BIG DANG SHOES TO FILL. My friend I will miss our talks, our hugs, your love and kind words. IT WAS MY PRIVILEDGE AND HONOR TO HAVE KNOWN YOU IN THIS LIFETIME MY DEAR SWEET FRIEND….I WILL DO MY BEST AS WE HAD TALKED ABOUT, I KNOW I HAVE YOU AS AN ANGEL NOW AND I PRAY I AM THERE TO SEE YOU ONCE AGAIN SWEET LADY………Until then, “See you later, my dear Christian friend”.
