My life has been a whirlwind in the two weeks since my beloved was called home to the Lord. My heart is broken to a depth I don’t fully understand. Yet, my heart is also full because of the intertwining communities that have come together to celebrate Kenny’s life, support our families, offer gifts, prayers, food, hugs, and tears. How do I even begin to say thank you? There are not enough words.
I believe the community you belong to is the community you help build. As a super-introvert, I feel like I have been blessed to ride the coattails of Ken’s amazing ability to build community. His laughter, his generosity, his gift for conversation, his sparkling smile, his compassion, his encouraging words and actions, these are what brought people into Ken’s community and I have been so honored to join him as his plus1/partner in crime.
In the deepest of our sorrows, our true friendships emerge. Our communities draw us together. We cling to these words of encouragement, grace, and strength in a way that we didn’t know was possible. We see friends old and new, acquaintances, and strangers come from the woodwork of our communities to lift us up when we can no longer stand. And these communities seek no reward, they seek no gain–they simply give. This sense of community has humbled me to my core.
I have often repeated the words grace, patience, gratitude, and plain old, thank you in the last two weeks as if I don’t have a thesaurus big enough to express myself. So I will go on with these words and live to honor the man that has built such an incredible set of communities for our Thomuto Team.
Peace to you and may the souls of the eternal departed rest in peace and rise in glory.
Simply beautifully written. You have remained in my thoughts these last few weeks. I’m glad I had the honor to meet Ken just that once, and it was obvious through the photos you shared that you shared something truly special.
Sarah – Your words are beautiful as are you. I am so glad that in tragedy, you’ve also found so much good and such overwhelming support.
i just love you and your words.
Sarah, I had no idea. May the Lord wrap you in His strong embrace. Many hugs to you.
Holly {Crisscross Applesauce in First Grade}