As we celebrated All Saints Day I thought about all those people
who shaped my faith journey, from my dear great-aunt, who served as my
grandmother when her sister, my grandmother, died in my infancy, to
Dorothy, who called herself “MOM,” My
Other Mother, and demonstrated her huge caring Christian heart, worrying about
me and caring for me every week. There
was my Great-Grandpa George, who spent hours listening to my endless stories,
and kept every letter I ever wrote to him and every drawing I ever made. Each one of these people gave me a glimpse of
just how large God’s heart must be, and how important it was for me to share
God’s love with the people I met. “Your
life may be the only Bible some people read,” I was told.
When I was in high school I read a book called “The Other Side of
the Mountain.” It inspired me. It was about a young woman named Jill
Kinmont. She was qualifying for the 1956
Olympics when she broke her neck in a skiing accident. The book told about her fight to regain her
independence. She fought to go to
college, to become a teacher, and to have her own classroom. And it was a fight. No one thought a woman who was paralyzed from
the neck down could maintain order in a classroom. Later two movies were made based on Jill’s
story, and I found them just as inspiring.
When we moved to Bishop in 1990, who was in the congregation of
the Methodist church but Jill? I should
have known! Jill’s family had worshiped
at the church for years, and so had Jill and her husband John. She had taught at the Indian School until it
was incorporated into the public school system, and then continued working as a
special education teacher. She raised
money for Native American scholarships, selling donations from the Mammoth
Mountain Ski Shop at swap meets and fairs.
This was hazardous work because Jill had no thermostat to regulate her
body, and prolonged exposure to heat or the sun was dangerous. But she would be out there under the trees in
those warm high desert days. She was a
talented artist. A community day school
was named for her. And she became my
friend.
When I started a mentoring program at the church, Jill was the
first person to sign up. And when she
learned her child had a sister who also needed a special friend, she took on
both girls. She gave so freely of
herself, and her time, when she had every excuse not to. When life placed me in a wheelchair, I had a
model of grace, acceptance, and overcoming the odds, all with a smile on her
face, to look to. I was at her house one
day when a crew from 60 Minutes was
there to do a follow-up interview. I
didn’t know she wasn’t expected to live more than 15 years past her initial
injury. And here it was, 35 years later,
and she was still going strong. I
believe her faith, and her positive outlook, as well as a strong purpose to her
life, had a lot to do with that.
We lost Jill in 2012, a week before her 76th birthday. The turnout for her celebration of life was
so large it had to be held at the cemetery.
There just wasn’t enough room at the church. She touched many, many lives, all for the
better. When it came to naming that
community day school, the principal related that he asked the superintendent if
the students could have a voice in naming it.
The superintendent said they could submit up to three names. They came back with only one - Jill’s.
I told Jill that before I met her, she had been my role
model. And when I went into that
wheelchair, I joked, she became my roll model.
What I never told her was that she was my hero. And for that I am truly sorry. But I think she knew all the same.
Therefore, since we
are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every
weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the
race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our
faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne
of God. Hebrews 12:1-2
Dear Lord, Thank you
for all the witness who have come before us, and who are with us today. Bless those witness who are sharing the
message of inclusiveness this week. Give
them wisdom to reach new people, and give their audiences open hearts and minds
to hear the message and bring it into their churches. This we pray in the name of your Son, the
open door. Amen.
Prayer Requests this week:
• The One Roof Initiative’s Introduction to Disability Ministry
Workshop this Saturday, November 8th, from 8:30 am to noon at Idlewild Baptist
Church in Lutz, Florida. This
interactive workshop will help churches considering starting a disability
ministry see how experienced local churches are engaging individuals and
families impacted by disabilities.
Register online at lhttp://www.theoneroof.com/event-introduction-disability-ministry
•
The Northern Illinois
Accessibility Access Conference will also take place this Saturday, November
8th, from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm at Barrington UMC.
Our own Lynn Swedberg will be the keynote speaker. You may register here: https://www.signup4.net/Public/ap.aspx?EID=20144031E
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