Saints....

Florence.....and Grace

This being All Saints Day, and knowing these two saints (in the picture above) don't read this blog, I thought it pretty safe to talk a little about them today.

These two women have had a very significant impact on my life over the many years we have been friends. I've known both of them for over thirty-five years.

I was privileged to work with Florence at the Bible College for ten of those thirty-five years. I watched her live. I watched her love students to the point of self-sacrifice. Many times their needs came before her own. She lived with and cared for both her parents until their passing. She taught the little children Sunday School for many, many years and everyone still calls her "Auntie Florence"..........even now that her students have become adults. She has lived a life of unconditional love, of total giving of herself and her resources. This dear lady offers grace to all, rich and poor, old and young. And even though now she is in a care home, walks with a walker and with her memory fading, she faithfully attends church, Bible in hand and greets all who come to speak with her. She is a saint of the finest quality and I am proud to call her friend.

Grace has been a constant in my life. I always said she should have been a teacher!! She has a gift for teaching and has taught many Bible classes over the years. She was Dean of Women at the Bible College when my young brother, Dale, attended. Grace has qualities that come from knowing God. Her motives are most often Christ-centered and when they're not, she admits it. I have learned a great deal about the importance of prayer. I have watched her work through difficult circumstances and have seen her faith be at the centre of all she is. She is a believer in people. She prays for people. She wants the best for those in her care and those no one cares about. How can a person go wrong having a friendship with someone with those qualities.

So, may God bless Florence and Grace. May they continue to be looked upon by God favorably, here and in the world to come.

Thanks God, for true friendships........and living saints.