I've Always Wondered

Have you ever wondered if anyone would come to your funeral if you died? Obviously your immediate family and a few close friends would be there, but who else? I guess I started thinking about that after my first grandparent died. It was my mom's dad who died in a car wreck. At his visitation people came from all over to pay their respects. I heard so many stories about his life, his family, his values and his willingness to help people. I just couldn't believe how many people he touched and how many people came to see him one last time. Would that happen to me? Have I made a difference in other's peoples lives? I don't know the exact answer, but I have been given a glimpse of what might be. Ever since my surgery and cancer diagnosis I have been overwhelmed by emails, phone calls and inquiries about how I'm doing and how I'm feeling. At every turn I'm being told that people are praying for me and my family, wishing me all the best and hoping for a speedy recovery. It's very humbling to have someone come by my office for a meeting and have him tell me that at 5:30 am on Wednesday mornings there are a group of men that get together at a church in Newnan each week and that they are praying for me by name. I've had people that I've never talked to at church come up to me, put their arms around me and tell me that I've been in their prayers daily and that they know everything will be all right. Former co-workers in different states have called and left voicemails because they heard I was going through a rough time or have emailed me to say they were thinking about me. I have been truly amazed and blown away by it all. Nobody wants to face a life or death situation where you have to be thrust into this, but it has actually been a blessing to me to see how much I am loved. Not only by my family but my friends as well. God has an amazing way of pruning people to allow them to grow to a much fuller life. I feel that I have been pruned and am just now beginning to start the new growth process. And it's been kind of cool to see that people do care about me and that there just might be a few cars in the parking lot of the funeral home someday. But not anytime soon.