Farewell to a fellow woman of faith

I just learned that my former boss of 13 years passed away.  

Of all the possible feelings, I mostly just feel acceptance.  Other feelings may pop up as my brain processes the information over the next several days, if past experience counts for anything.

She was a good and loving boss.  

She drove me bonkers.

I appreciated her greatly, yet she stretched my tolerance and my patience on a daily basis.

She cared for others with the full love of Christ.  She knew no strangers and never acknowledged any subtle boundaries of others at any time.  You had to be direct or your boundary wasn't perceived.  Her extroverted personality was oblivious to the passing of time or other responsibilities that needed her time and attention too.

I learned much from serving under her.  I was grateful for her constant support and fighting for better wages and more respect for her employees.  She did many things that made her very loved by her staff.

She was pushy and loud, yet never missed a chance to witness to anyone and everyone who crossed her path.  Every interview she conducted included the gospel message and a heart-to-heart with the unsuspecting interviewee.  She had the privilege of praying the prayer of salvation with many parents who brought their children to our childcare center.

Her final two years as my boss, myself and her administrative assistant served as her hands and feet, her mental stability, and we ran all aspects of the business with her at the helm delegating everything possible to us, with the exception of the personal interactions she was so gifted in.

Several times in our time together, we thought God might be calling her home.  Her health was always in question.  More times than I can remember, I was with her at the hospital or racing to get her some orange juice because her blood sugar had dropped incredibly low again.

Never a dull moment. 

I remember a bible study that she led, a verse about how wide, how deep, and how far God's love was.  It was her heart's prayer to experience God's love and share it to that degree.  Finally, she gets to experience it live, and in-person.  I can see her joyfully praising her Lord and Savior with all of her being up in Heaven.