They Still Remember You

Dearest Rachel –

Yesterday was my first day back at the ‘office’ in a while; when Friday is taken up by a walk in the woods, and Monday is a national holiday, suddenly the weekend doubles in size (setting aside the fact that any day could be considered a weekend if I so chose to). The point is, relatively speaking, it’s been a while since I’ve last seen the folks, apart from a few words of greeting between services on Sunday.

And it was something that happened on Sunday that Mom wanted to talk to me about when I showed up late in the morning (which is what happens when I hit the gym and have breakfast before setting out). It would seem that they met a couple that recently started attending services at the Randhurst location, but who had apparently started in Des Plaines some years ago. I’m not sure if it was just a case of personally meeting Dad as an elder, or just part of the normal course of inter-service conversation, but the subject of family came up. Mom spoke about how fortunate she and Dad were to have their children and grandchildren still attending the same church as they were, mentioning them by name. In particular, she brought up Daniel, and the fact that he faithfully greets her with a hug every Sunday, even if he might not say anything more to them (both due to his reticent nature and the limited time before the service begins). As if on cue, that was when he showed up, and greeted her with one of his trademark bear hugs, before returning to his seat at the back of the auditorium.

His distinctive appearance rang bells with this couple; “Wait… you’re Rachel’s mother-in-law, aren’t you?”

It so happens that, whenever it was that they started coming to the Des Plaines campus, way back in the day, you were the first person to greet them and make them feel welcome. They still remember you, and whatever it was you did to make them feel at home here at our church – and they’re still coming.

Granted, this means they also know the basic story of what happened to you thereafter, as well. But that’s rather beside the point. The thing is – and I don’t know if this was a one-off greeting you gave them, or a pattern of yours to find and greet them regularly for a series of weeks – you did something that drew them in and kept them here, and they still remember you for that. If it was the former, you probably don’t even recall having done so – and as far as I know, you never spoke to me about it; certainly not mentioning this or that individual or couple you happened to meet on any given week by name – but it doesn’t matter. The fact that they remember, and they still come, is sufficient to illustrate that you played an important role in their spiritual journey, whether you knew it or not.

To be sure, I’m sure you were already greeted yourself at the gates of pearl with the traditional “well done, good and faithful servant,” for your efforts in this life. You might very well have been treated with a list of the ways your efforts impacted others – even in what we would think of as the future, since at the moment of crossing the threshold between our world and His kingdom, you transcended our perception of time – so it’s possible you know exactly who I’m referring to (which would put you one up on me, since Mom didn’t actually mention the couple’s names; she may have not caught them at the time, or assumed, most likely correctly, that their name wouldn’t have rung any bells with me in any event). But even so, I suspect it would be nice to have a little earthly confirmation that your actions, however small and possibly forgotten by yourself, mattered in another’s life, and that they still remember you for it.

There’s really not a whole lot for me to add to this letter, honey. There’s naught for me to ask in terms of a watchful eye or a wish for luck, as this is not something I’ve ever been able to engage in. Nor can I point to this, and encourage you to keep up the good work; your work, especially in this area, is finished, and is left for others to continue – not in your name, but in His. Perhaps, then, I should close with a request that you watch over all those that continue these efforts (including, perhaps, myself, although I’ve never learned how to do what came to you so naturally) and wish us all luck. Or at least, that our efforts do not return void, just like He says about His word.