Message |
| Today we gather together because we are faced with
death, and we gather to do the very difficult task of
saying goodbye to our beloved Megan. Death is always a
hard thing to face, but when it involves someone in their
youth, an eleven year old, almost 12 year old, it becomes
even harder. Megan, even though we know that you struggled greatly, emotionally and physically, enduring much pain in your fight against AIDS, and even though we know today your battle is over and your pain and struggle are gone, your death has made our hearts ache. We don't understand why you had to battle AIDS, why you weren't spared this when it seems that you should have been reveling in childhood activities. Even you over the past several months, if not before, asked why me? and it is unfair that you had to endure so much. We can't touch or hug you anymore, or talk to you about dreams and your future. No longer do we have the joy sharing experiences with you or reading to you your favorite stories from Granny's Antics. But, Megan, we do give thanks for the wonderful gift of love and joy and friendship that you brought into our lives. Megan was a precious and valuable gift from god and her life with us, although it seems too short, is something for which we can be thankful. She is someone we will always cherish and remember. We will remember and cherish her smile, even though we didn't see it much as she began to feel worse, and I know, I , as well as others , will cherish those eyes that would sparkle with excitement and love when she would share an experience or a story that she had heard from her grandmother, Irma. Even in the midst of being tired and uncomfortable, the beauty of that sparkle shown through as Megan related to me a story about her grandmother as we sat together in her kitchen just recently, and I felt awed by the amazing inner courage and strength Megan displayed. Megan was a very intelligent and determined young lady. Everyone that had an opportunity to work with Megan know this. With everything that she had to endure in her fight against AID, ~ Megan experienced more than many children do and lived an active, loving, caring life. I first met Megan downstairs, at the front of this church helping Irma greet people as they came in for the Sunday service. I remember seeing her riding her bike to the Post Office with Jay. I along with many other people saw her in town and at school, living life as fully as she could when many other people would have just given up. Megan made an effort to overcome any challenge that she faced. Megan's life was a great and God given gift to us. Megan was a special little girl who liked to draw, loved to write, did counted cross stitch, she had her opinions and told it like it was, she was very proud of her school work, and even when she couldn't go to school any more she kept up with the work at home. Irma told me there were times when Megan wanted to be a teacher which I think is a great tribute to her teachers and tutors and everyone who worked with her at the school. You all obviously touched her life very deeply and she appreciated the fact that you shared a part of yourselves with her. In a great and very important way Megan was a teacher. Being a strong advocate of AIDS awareness, Megan and Jay, who were fortunate enough to spend more time together than most father's and daughter's do, traveled in 44 states and 7 providence's of Canada, telling her story about AIDS so that others might be spared the battle she was fighting. She also participated in programs at NIH in hope that they might learn something that would help her and others fighting AIDS in the future. Megan was a teacher all right. She taught us how important it is to love and care for other people and how important it is to realize that each individual, no matter who they are, has something they can contribute to make this a better world. Individuals can and do make a difference. Megan could and did make a difference. Megan was an inspiration to us all. We will miss her. Megan's Physical life is over, but do know that Megan is alive. Megan is living with her Creator and is now free from the illness which bound her. She has at least been healed and made whole. She is being cared for and loved by God. Megan is in God's house, but also gone home to be reunited with Carol, her mother, and I'm sure Carol, was waiting with open arms. But we are left behind, and we feel very incomplete. A person we love, a part of our life is no longer visible. Some of us feel angry and bitter, some fee lost, some feel guilty, some feel sad and confused, and some of us feel all these things and more. We are asking many questions. Why? What if? But like Megan, know now that we are not alone. God is with us. God is here now, knowing that we hurt, that we question, that we suffer the loss of Megan. God is with us, hurting with us and working through us as we reach out to one another in this time of grief. God made us for one another, Megan clearly understood this and taught us this, and bad times as well as good are easier to handle when you can share them with someone you love. Don't deny yourself or another of this need and God given relationship. Remember, you need each other and you need the love and the support that you can offer to another. Accept the love and comfort God is offering you. Be open to God's presence as you remember Megan, and allow God to be your rock, your refuge and strength in this time of grief. Megan, I know that you are in heaven. It comforts me to know that you are with God and that you and your mother are watching over us and waiting for us to one day be with you. And every once in a while your dad or another family member or friend will feel a sweet breeze or a calm presence or see a vision and they will know it is you Megan telling them that everything is all right, and that they have nothing to fear. Our God, Our Father and Shepherd, Our Rock, loves us, loves all his Children and if we will let him, he will guide us all one day to the springs of living water wiping away every tear from our eyes, and we will all be joined together again in God's House and God's Kingdom. Amen |
