And the saint came marching in..

Alright readers, as a disclaimer for those of you who don't know me very well, I am church-going-bible-thumping-Jesus-loving-freak. And well, if you don't like that, than too bad for you. Especially because this blog is about an amazing woman who greatly influence those characteristics in me - even if I didn't realize it until now. Kay Nelson, a woman after God's own heart, of whom this world recently lost after a long, tumultuous battle with cancer.

At the funeral last week, after seeing all the people that filled out both the chapel and then the reception hall who came to pay their respects and ultimately to recognize how much of an amazing woman we had all been blessed enough to have known, I decided I would write this tribute. It wasn't until this afternoon when I reread all the facebook messages that Kay had sent me over the years that I actually knew what I would say. 

You see, Kay was the sassy old lady in the back of the church, who sat to the left of the sound booth, in the exact same spot for as long as anyone can remember. A spot that now, though it would be empty, will be known as "Kay's spot". From that spot she watched us all grow, both as humans and more importantly as children of God - and she never let a moment of praise or prayer go unnoticed as we grew. 

Approximately 9 years ago, she began to watch a loud, eager, and obnoxious, 5th grade girl who could usually be found saying all the wrong things at all the wrong times, begin take the those first steps in her faith-walk, and since the first step, prayed for her until the very day she died. 

If you hadn't already figured it out from the eerily accurate description or the blatantly obvious author, that rambunctious little girl was none other than yours truly.

Throughout the years, Kay would send me cards, small gifts, and just plain old love, every chance she got. As her knowledge of the inter-web and e-cards grew, so did the encouragement ministry that she herself had both created and run. Many of us at the funeral agreed that we would often find, at just the right time, an e-card or facebook message that always seem to fit perfectly with whatever we were going through at the time, whether it was a hard time or a good one, Kay always had the words and means to encourage us. 

She never missed an opportunity to make sure that I knew I was loved and being prayed for as I took on this crazy thing called life. One time, while chatting on facebook, Kay told me "Go with God" as our conversation was coming to a close, she told me that she told her husband the same thing every morning, she proceeded to tell me how much he treats her like a queen and that if I prayed hard, I would get just the right man for me as well.  She truly never missed an opportunity to share loving, encouraging words. One of my most treasured messages from her is:
"You see, you are standing strong, and therefore the devil is not sleeping... God has a perfect plan for your life and we can't wait to see that unfold. Our love and prayers are with you."
I don't know if you get the picture yet, but Kay was an amazing woman who influenced more people than I think she was ever aware of. Her reliance on God and her sureness in the power of prayer is something that I will serve as an example in my life forevermore. I'm hoping that she can look down on me and be proud of the woman her "sweet little one" is becoming, knowing just how thankful I am for how much of a role that her life and prayers have played throughout the years and will continue to.

As much as I miss her already, I am beyond thrilled that she will never have to endure any form of pain ever again, she deserves to finally reap the rewards of all her many years of the blessings she poored out on all of us!

Cheers. 

PS, she would've wanted me to make sure that this post was ended with a verse so in true tribute, here's the one she always left me: Psalm 32:8.