The Weekends

 

The weekends are really tough. So tough in fact, that I hesitate to share the details because I understand that the grief over this loss resonates from coast to coast. Patrick was a very special person who fit in specific spaces of people's lives and stories. One of the things that most people know about us is that we would take the weight off of anyone if we could. We understood our assignment of walking with people in their valley places, being their encouragement and rooting them on and out. So, knowing that many of you who are reading this may be in a valley place …is hard. But I’m going to choose to share one of the beautiful moments from this weekend. 

Saturdays are a struggle because that's when we all looked forward to spending some time together as a family. Whether it was one of our few "do nothing" Saturdays, Outreach Saturday or a planned family adventure, we were  just happy to be spending it together.  

This morning our devotional was about Minutemen, a special army force that was ready at a moment’s notice to handle the tough assignments. I tried to block it out because this current assignment of ours seems too much to bear, but I thought about Patrick and how he lived his life. Although he was truly an introvert, he had a way with people that inspired and encouraged them and made them feel seen. No one was a burden, no one was “less than”.  

This Saturday I came across a graduation thank you note from one of the youths that Patrick taught a couple of years ago. I’m posting it below because it brought a big smile to my face. In addition, I got this heartwarming text from one of his managers back in the day. 

“ I struggled to even comprehend the concept of God’s Will until he helped me. Now I pray daily for the knowledge of it and the power to carry it out.  I’m a better leader and a better man today than I was before and he’s a big part of why.”  

These are the stories that help us along this rocky path.