What the world needs is more people loving like Ms. Sandy.....

                                                                               
On rare occasions we find ourselves in places that surprise us and when we let ourselves experience the wonder of the energy present at any given moment we have the potential to be changed. Last night I gathered to commemorate the retirement of my sister friend Saundra Blackford. She had spent 35 years of her life serving her place of employment and her friends, colleagues and family gathered together to celebrate the transition to another phase of Sandy's life. I am not sure if I have experienced a moment when such love was present in one place at any given time.

I swear it was if we'd gathered together and were breaking the sacramental bread---a communion of community all brought together because of our love for this one woman. I am not sure Ms. Sandy, as we call her, could even fathom the depths or height of the love that was flowing in the room. We gathered, we broke bread and some of the folks danced until they couldn't dance anymore. I am sure a few of them have some sore feet and perhaps a bit of a headache. It was a great time of celebration. We laughed and we cried and we were blessed.

I had promised Ms. Sandy several years ago, that if she ever retired, I'd share an excerpt from a sermon that I'd written about her. So that's what I did--I shared a story about a woman who changed not only my life but many others as well. It is a story about a woman whose ripples of love moved from the comfort of self out to each of us, changing us a bit at a time. None of us gathered will ever be able to fathom the final products of her love waves that flowed over us. I can say.....I am most thankful for the splash that I experienced.In the movie Pay It Forward, the main character, Trevor McKenney said: [to Mr. Simonet his teacher] What did you ever do to change the world? Ms. Sandy's love and spirit and joy moved over all of us and little by little, hug after hug, smile after smile her love washed over us and enfolded us and we were transformed. That's what Ms. Sandy has done to change the world.

Below are the comments I gave last night about Ms. Sandy:

When I came back to work here after finishing seminary and finally accepting that I was a bit too “edgy” for the church…I was heartbroken. Jennifer, my boss must have felt my grief because she sat me beside someone she knew would take care of me. I will forever be indebted to her for the gift she gave me. She sat me beside somebody they called Ms. Sandy, “a big boned Pancake eating” whatcha-call of a woman. (Whatcha-call is what Ms. Sandy always would say when she couldn’t come up with a word). As I sat there day after day I began to notice Ms. Sandy….and little by little her love flowed over me and I was changed.

It was just an ordinary kind of day as I began sitting next to her at the Medical Center years ago.
I had been watching her week after week.
Her very presence was a gift to the workplace
And as I silently watched this sister of mine,
I experienced the wonder of God at work in the very ordinary elements of my day-to-day mundane routine.

Sandy worked hard, never complained of much---except when folks really got on her nerves, and I was continually amazed at her skill for sharing the good news in ways that often surprised me.
She is the pure embodiment of God’s love……I swear I’d sit near her so that I could feel closer to a heavenly realm---
You see for me----sitting beside her was sort of like going to church—and to be quite honest—I learned more about putting our faith in action sitting by Ms. Sandy than I ever did in any seminary class or worship service. Ms. Sandy was a good teacher.

As people went by, day after day….you’d hear them greet her…..
“Hey Ms Sandy, how are you?”
and she’d smile and say…….
“Blessed Doll….how are you?
How is your mother….your son…your daughter…..your wife…your husband?”
and before I knew it….I was privy to Ms. Sandy’s congregation and I listened as people opened up their story book and shared intimate details of their lives with my sister-friend. She would yell at them across the hallways…..
“Hey there baby..how you doing?”
……and more often than not….
as they began on their daily routines, I’d overhear Sandy tell them…. “now you get yourself to church……keep praying….it’ll work out…..God is Good….and we are blessed!”

It is a real amazing wonder to experience and I have been blessed as I have watched this woman’s movement in the world.
Sandy, you may never know how many lives you touched,
You will never fully understand why people came to you……..
You will never really know how many people came around on days when you were away and you may never understand how disappointed they were when they found out you were on vacation or sick…..
But
I saw IT and I understood more about our call to live life fully and authentically as I watched her….
….
Every time she encountered another…..
Pure undying, unfiltered God love…
manifested in the form of a smiling slightly large middle aged chocolate woman and I still stand in awe of the gifts she offered the world on a daily basis and underneath it all, I hope that someday…somehow, I can learn to share the joy of living in a similar manner….
Sandy you served the university well for many years,
You took good care of patients and colleagues and doctors.
You stole (or borrowed air freshener and box cutters and scissors and bleach and whatever we needed for whichever one of us needed it.
You planned more parties and catered more dinners than we can count.
You mentored more young people who should call you momma than any bird that ever set on a nest.
You eavesdropped and spied and listened and learned and you watched our back and cheered us on day after day.
You were always in the know and most importantly
You loved every last one of us -----.
Taught us about the whatcha- call……
Well what you taught us how to live…with care, concern, joy dignity and laughter
Sandy look around at all of us who have been touched by you…
I’m sure my story is not the only one here
because you made each of feel like we were your best friend---because we were.
Sandy enjoy this night of love----
We love you for we have been blessed to sit beside “our Ms. Sandy”….
May each of us learn to live our lives at work with as much joy and honor and love as our Ms. Sandy…
For she is Good………………….and we were blessed!

We all have the capacity deep within us, buried underneath all those masks we wear, underneath all our striving to climb the ladder, underneath all our ego. We have that "thing" that made everybody love Ms. Sandy--we just have to find the courage to unbind ourselves to create our own ripples in the sea of love. May we each do it boldly and with courage.

So let me ask you---"What have you done lately to change the world?"