A few more saints with a small ‘s’…
As you may have heard last week at the 5 pm or 8 am, my friend Dave Larson lost his fight with ALS. In a facebook post one of his many friends said this: “One of my college friends passed tonight. He lived the last couple of years with ALS. I would always say that I have a friend dying of ALS. I was wrong. Dave Larson lived with ALS. He inspired many and made the most of what he was dealt.”
Of the many gifts that I learned from Dave, that was, perhaps, the most profound. That he refused to see himself as a victim, to wallow in pity, to shut down and stop living life. Instead, even though he would sometimes describe what it felt like to be him as: “an anvil with a brain”, he chose to continue meeting and greeting and being with people. He chose a lengthy road trip so he could visit his son one time as a fresh-man at his alma mater, TCU. He chose not to lose heart but to keep on laughing and smiling and be engaged in this amazing journey called life. And for that, I am eternally grateful.
In your kindness, I would ask for prayers for his wife, Ann, and his two kids, Arthur and Thomas. I miss Dave terribly, and I am just his friend. The support of the community of believers is what has carried them through thus far. I trust that your continued prayer for the family will continue to carry them through this time of grief.
And, in the “when it rains, it pours’ category, if you could also pray for my sister-in-law’s sister, Joan Carpenter, who passed away on Monday evening. Though I doubt any of you ever met her, what you may not have known is how instrumental Joan was here at St. Ann. You see, Joan worked with folks who lived with alcoholism and chemical dependency. And she did that well because she herself was a recovering alcoholic, and knew the disease and the ways it defends itself and hides itself from the discovery and detection at all costs.
I relied upon her like a staff in the days that led to Fr. Vic’s going away to get treatment for his alcoholism. And depended upon her wisdom and insight as Fr. Vic maintained his sobriety upon his return here. She was such an instrument of grace and support for me, and for countless others over the years. As you breathe a prayer for her, pray also for all those who continue that important work of walking and supporting those with the disease of alcoholism and chemical dependency.