Goodbye, Elaine.

There's nothing like a funeral to put things in perspective. Especially when that funeral is for someone whose life was shorter than it should have been. I attended such a funeral today. Elaine Ostiguy, a friend from my church, died this week after a long battle with a rare form of cancer. If you are interested, here is her obituary:
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/dclassifieds?Dato=20100624&Kategori=Obituaries&Class=30&Type=CAT1320&Lopenr=100600587&Selected=15

An obituary does so little to convey the richness of the story. Here's some of what Elaine's obituary doesn't say:

1. Elaine died 6 years to the day after her husband, Jim, whispered his last words "Goodnight, babycakes." He died at some point during that night. Jim was a marathon runner who was one of the healthiest men I have ever known. They never did find out what caused his death.
2. Elaine was a spitfire full of spunk literally up to the day she died. She was driven by an insatiable desire to squeeze every drop of living out of life.
3. Second only to her love for Jesus, Elaine's sons were her passion. When Jim died, and even moreso when she was diagnosed with cancer, Elaine's single focus was preparing them for adulthood. She succeeded. Her youngest, Nathan, turned 18 and graduated from high school this spring. They have their work cut out for them, but she left them well prepared.
4. Elaine touched a lot of lives, but not only in the way that was talked about in her eulogy today. She also provided the world with an opportunity to see the Church in action. Friends literally have had to hold her up over the past 6 years. Men from the church have managed her lawn, helped her move to a smaller home, fixed all manner of broken things, taught her to ride a motorcycle, and helped raise her boys. Women friends have brought uncountable meals, cleaned her house, did her laundry, drove her to doctor's appointments - even when they were in Boston, researched clinical trials and experimental treatments, held her, cried with her, and helped raise her boys.

I wasn't part of Elaine's inner circle, but because she was so transparent in her struggles and victories I was privileged to witness her journey. So much of what happened to her and so much of how she responded to it showed those who knew her even remotely that there is irrefutable evidence of God's existence. Jim and Elaine's story is the stuff of novels with a hefty dose of raw, and sometimes ugly, reality. You simply can't make this stuff up. They not only finished the race well, they ran it with grace and integrity. Though it seems incredibly unfair that a loving God would take both of these people so young, they taught us how to die well. And that is a lesson worth learning.