Faithful departed

I learned last night that one of our parishioners died over the weekend. This was not, strictly speaking, a surprise; Tom has been dealing with cancer for a good long while, and he and wife Celie had been told by the doctors that there was nothing more they could do.

Tom was a sweet man, with a gentle smile and a knack for asking "coffee hour questions" that would be the envy of any GOE examiner. "Good morning, Rabbi," he'd say, and then pose an inquiry that not only showed he'd been listening to the sermon, but also reading his Bible-- and that I had best be keeping up with my studies, as well. This could have had me bracing myself each Sunday, but it didn't-- because our conversations were always peppered with a gentle humor, and a certain amount of grace.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.