Today I attended the funeral of a friend of mine. I tried to remember the first time I met Nancy. Our paths first crossed at a retreat put on by the Christian Campus House of Missouri University. That was in 1971. I did not meet her again until 1978, when I returned back home from living in Cincinnati for four years after college. It was then that I went back to Ferguson Christian Church, where I had helped with Jet Cadets during my college years. That was where Nancy and I first became friends.

Our lives continued to connect as we both moved to the same city, attended the same church for decades, and were recently in the same Bunco group. Over the years, we shared many meals together and when she cooked them–oh, yummy.

At her funeral it was noted that she was a marvelous cook (and she was), and she had a knack for hospitality (and she did). For years she served quietly behind the scenes helping with potlucks, cooking fabulous desserts (her chocolate pecan pie was a hit), and taking meals to the sick.

But the thing that impressed me most was from the time she learned she had pancreatic cancer, in her quiet and understated way, she was an amazing example of staying the course with her faith. She never wavered in her faith that God was a good God. All of those who visited with her came away with the same knowledge that her faith was what sustained her. On my last visit with her, her quiet certainty that heaven awaited her shined through. While I was tearful, she was calm and in her inimitable way, totally Nancy. Her organizational skills were always somewhat amazing, and true to form, she told me she had put everything in order so that her sisters would know where everything was and would not have to go searching for things.

It is a strange thing as we get older and see death more often, watching loved ones and friends succumb to that inevitable fate we all face, that we think about the legacy we will leave when we pass. I think about that more as each day draws me closer to the day when I will see my Savior. In all honesty, I do not feel old, but when I think about it, more of my life is behind me than in front of me!

God has been good to me. And while I have had some ups and downs in my life, the knowledge that He loves me sustains me. I can only hope that when I face my final days and I finally take my last breath here on earth, that I am found faithful and am confident with the same kind of assurance of heaven that Nancy had.

For Nancy, the most difficult thing about being sick was her inability to eat. Nancy enjoyed food, but also worked hard to stay healthy and at a good weight. She lost weight rapidly after becoming sick and ended up with a feeding tube. She told one of our friends that she would frequently dream about eating and she looked forward to being able to eat in heaven.

For centuries the church has taught there will be a great banquet in heaven. That teaching dates all the way back to Messianic teaching in Isaiah 25. I do not know if it is true, but if it is, I know that Nancy will be sitting at the table.

Melt ½ cup butter. Combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup light corn syrup (Karo), 4 slightly bean eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 cup pecan halves, and ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. Mix well. Pour into unbaked 9-inceh pastry shell. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. Cool. Serves 8.