You stood and cheered! I’m proud!

“Right now, just imagine that all people in the universe who love you are standing and cheering for you this day.” With that thought Mary Morrisey touched a responsive chord in my heart last week.

Take a moment and envision that: folks from all walks of life, all relationships, past and present, all ages of people whose lives you’ve touched–wherever they are, whatever their circumstances, imagine them standing, smiling at you, waving and cheering!

During the last three months I’ve watched you stand and cheer for Steve and Pat Sardeson as they received and dealt with the sudden and shocking news that Steve would quickly leave this life. You who knew them stood and cheered for them as he made final preparations, had final visits, ate those last bowls of ice cream, wrote his last blogs, emails, and facebook entries, and then, when he could keyboard no more, he  read what you wrote, and when he could no longer read,  listened as family members read to him your notes of love and appreciation.

Now, he is gone from this life, and we still stand and cheer just as a crowd does when the winning team runs off the field and out of sight into the tunnel. Steve has passed through the tunnel to the other side. And we still cheer. And, Pat, we still stand and cheer for you and the family. That’s as it should be. May God richly  bless you! –Dale