Day of Purple (Raquel)
If you see me tomorrow you might notice that I’m wearing purple. It’s not unusual for me to wear purple, though I more often wear black and burgandy, or silver gray and sea green. But tomorrow I will be wearing a brilliant purple, because tomorrow is July 19th.
Two years ago tomorrow Linda Ben-Ezra went Home. In the providence of God I never met her, but I’m tempted to wish that I had. I’ve heard the stories that start out, “There was this one time that Mom…â€? and I know it’s going to be a good story. At the end I sit back and think, “I wonder if I would do that.â€?. It’s often something I would want to do—if I could just stop being afraid what other people would think.
There’s so much more to what I know about her than just stories. There’s a phrase Gabrielle uses occasionally– “It’s what my mom would have done.â€?. And sometimes even when she doesn’t say it, I know. I know that Seth and Jonathan and Elizabeth and Adiel and Gabrielle are who they are partly because of who their mother was.
So I give into temptation, and I wish I’d known her. I know that God’s plan is perfect, but I also know I would have loved her. I can’t begin to imagine how many people she affected in her life, or how many people are still being helped through the influence she had on the people she loved.
I have a mental list of “People I’ll See When I Get to Heavenâ€?. Peter Marshall. Corrie Ten Boom. One day my grandmother was added to the list. And now Linda Ben-Ezra.
Sometimes it’s hard to keep this list. I know that there will be many more additions as I get older and many of of them will hurt. They’ll hurt a lot. But I want to remember that these people I will never meet on earth will be there when I get to heaven. I want to remember that the day will come when we never have to say goodbye again. So tomorrow I will wear purple and I will remember.
Thank you, Raquel. This really meant a lot to me. If there are kitchens in Heaven then you are invited to dance with us in one of them when the Day comes.
I’ll be there.
I was somebody whose life was impacted by Linda Ben-Ezra. She was the first person in my life to consistently demonstrate unadulterated, unconditional love. Her example helped to soften me as a person, and it is continuing to help me better understand who our God is. Although I am thankful that Mrs. Ben-Ezra is with Jesus, my eyes still water whenever I think about her. I really miss her. Thank you for what you wrote…you would have loved her.