Going Home...A Tribute to Those Who Have Left This World

Today a good friend is "going home." Others have gone before him and we will all follow at some point in the future. The majority of the time, I am accepting that this is a part of the life we live. It is just a step into another experience. An experience I expect to be one of Goodness, Truth and Infinite Love.

Sometimes I find it very difficult to accept this death of a body. Some people are just larger than life. There have been a few people who I still feel walk this earth. Maybe they do just not in a body as we know it. I can think of three people who fit this category.

Digna Amano Martin 
I worked with Digna years ago when I lived in DeSoto, Missouri. She was the nurse for Dr. Andres Bonifacio. We became very close friends. Digna was challenged with lupus. Her body was ravaged by this disease. Yet I never heard one complaint from her. She was there for everyone even to the week before her passing. Someone needed her help babysitting. She was there for that baby.

Ernie Hays
Ah, what can I say about Ernie that has not already been said? First time I heard of Ernie was when my minister, Rev. Satterlee, told me this man would be the new organist at our church. Rev. Satterlee said "he plays for the Baseball Cardinals." Not a baseball fan, I couldn't figure out how a baseball player was going to be in church on Sunday mornings. I soon discovered that Ernie was an extraordinary organist. He was also one of the sweetest most giving men I have ever known. His jokes were another story but made him all the more unique.

And then there is Marvin Levin
Today is the day Marvin is officially sent home. He graced this earth for 91+ years and left a legacy that few can match. His contributions to the diabetic community changed the scene for the diabetic foot. I cannot even find words to express what Marvin meant to me. His emotional support during a very difficult time in my life was always present. His "to-do" list on a yellow legal pad made the work day a little more organized and very busy. Yes, there were days when all I could say when he appeared in my office was "Marvin!"  He would respond with "Ok, I'm leaving now." Ah, to hear those words again. Maybe I will today at his Memorial Service.

Other family members and friends who have passed are missed and still loved beyond anything I could have imagined. It is not my intent to minimize their passing. There is just something different about these three people. I am wondering if any of you reading this blog have this experience.

The following song was played at my maternal grandfather's memorial service in early 1970. It has always touched my heart at a very deep level.

Going Home by Libera

Peace and Blessings,

Mareda