Gentle Spirits

Today, we received the news of the passing of one of our elderly friends. This man was quiet and unassuming. He always spoke in calm modulated tones. (At least when I heard him) My feeling was that he listened more than he spoke. Kindness seemed to cling to him, extending as naturally as his arms. He lived in a modest brick home, the same home in which he had reared his family. He wasn’t famous, in a worldly way, but he was known as a good neighbor, a good friend, a good father.

In a time when people seem consumed with gaining more wealth or being famous on Twitter… when I see men using their power for evil… or seeking for power, so they can be better than their neighbors… I also see this man. He lived a different creed.

Taught early to work hard, be honest in his dealings, and kind to his fellowmen. He just went quietly about doing good because he couldn’t really do any different. Because that was who he was, true to himself, and his God.

It was a while ago when I actually spoke to him. It was in the middle of the pandemic. He was at the church in the hall waiting outside the chapel. I knew he was battling cancer; I said, “Why are you here?” He said he had come over to pay his tithing. I told him he shouldn’t be there hanging around all the germs. He quietly asked me to take his tithing envelope and give it to the bishop. I agreed. As I watched him walk down the hall, I thought, I was wrong. This was exactly where he needed to be. Thanks for the example, Brother Stuart.

These men are rare; I salute them all.

Photo by Bill Fairs on Unsplash