Eric’s Last Wish

   Did you know that, if you smile when you answer the telephone, a caller can sense your response? I was very glad I remembered this when I received a call late one evening not so long ago. Until then, I had not thought to plan for the time when I would be called home, but I have since done so. I’d like to share with you what happened when my telephone rang that day.

   ”I’m calling to ask if you would be able to attend a musical celebration of Eric’s life on Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. He left explicit instructions that he didn’t want either a funeral or a memorial service; instead he gave precise details of the joyful, musical evening by which he wished to be remembered.”

   I said, of course, I’d be honored to be there.

   The celebration was held in the room where Eric had attended choir practice for many years on Sunday afternoons from 4 to 6 p.m. The venue was in a junior high school that formed part of the church where Eric worshipped.

   We were greeted cheerfully at the door with a welcoming fruit punch, followed by a sumptuous buffet catered by a local restaurant, well known for its penchant for only the healthiest of foods.

   A pastor from the church bid us all welcome, offered a few uplifting reflections of Eric’s life and then said grace, after which everyone, in party mood, enjoyed the fare provided; also the upbeat Christian music that was played throughout.

   The choir’s music director rose to introduce himself, to make some singularly irreverent remarks about Eric’s contribution to the choir, and then to introduce members of the choir itself. They then sang two joyful pieces, “Christ is the rock” and “Thy word”.

   Next some choir members made a few similarly ribald comments about Eric, thus continuing to set the tone for the clearly joyful evening that was to follow.

   A wonderfully cheerful member of the choir then gave us a trumpet solo rendition of “Amazing grace”, followed by another solo, this time of “What a friend we have in Jesus” on the harmonica by another member of the choir. The most accomplished pianist who was the accompanist for the choir completed the trio of performances with a virtuoso rendition of “Just a little while to stay here” to a marvelous, hand-clapping, foot-tapping jazz beat.

   Some personal comments from faculty and staff members of the graduate Christian university Eric had attended followed next, after which a classmate accompanied himself on the guitar as he sang one of Eric’s own compositions entitled, “Thank you Lord for loving me”.

   Not to be outdone, other classmates generated much mirth with their personal comments about the impact Eric had made on their lives, not least when climbing a 30 foot rock face during a leadership challenge weekend.

   Two members of the worship team from the church then sang another of Eric’s compositions, this time a superb duet entitled, “I’m on the outside looking in”.

   The president and members of the office staff where Eric was working at the time of his demise made cheerful references to their colleague’s great sense of fun, after which the warehouse and production supervisor played a fast Spanish piece which Eric had affectionately called “The beep beep song”. It told the gleeful tale of a young man’s endeavors to persuade a certain young lady to go for a ride in his car despite its appearance of being unable to go anywhere. At the very limited urging of the supervisor and in accordance with Eric’s express wish, all the Spanish production staff danced joyfully to this happiest of songs: some had even dressed in national costume for the purpose and in Eric’s honor.

   These members of staff next exchanged their own reflections of Eric’s life, the supervisor acting as interpreter. It appeared that Eric had studied Spanish, and even taken secret dancing lessons to surprise the ladies at pot luck lunches in the office when he was expected to partake of the Merengue, Cha-Cha-Cha, Salsa and Cumbias. No wonder the office as a whole was known by all who worked there or had dealings with it as “The second happiest place on earth.”

   The dancing over, the choir’s music director handed out sheet music to all present, in English and Spanish, according to choice. He then lined up the choir, positioned the trumpet player, the harmonica player, the pianist and the singers. Finally, he announced that, before the closing prayer, there would be one last piece of music in which everyone, whether they could sing or not, would have to join in: absolutely no exceptions would be allowed. Also, he expected the “joyful noise unto the Lord” to reach beyond the gates of heaven. He then led the entire ensemble in a rousing rendition of “Just a closer walk with thee”. Eric could not have helped smiling when he heard it, knowing his last wish had been so joyfully granted.

   The musical celebration of Eric’s life closed with a prayer offered by a choir member whose prayers Eric had found so uplifting over the years and whose knowledge of the Bible was encyclopedic. Quoting directly from the Bible, the choir member concluded with the words, “The Lord bless you and protect you; the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you; the Lord be favorable to you and give you peace.”

   On returning home, I reflected on the time I had first met Eric. He had joined us from a temporary agency so I knew nothing about him personally. We greeted each other warmly enough each day and I quickly formed the impression he was a most pleasant, hard working young man. Consequently, I was amazed to be told shortly after his coming on board that he was homeless. A few of my colleagues were taking up a collection to buy him some fresh clothes and asked if I would like to contribute. I said of course I would but surely the greater need was to find him somewhere to stay.

   It seemed he had voluntarily left home when he felt there were too many other mouths to feed and too little room in which to do so. Unfortunately, he hadn’t bargained on the difficulty of finding work and the high cost of renting even a small room. Eventually, he had been allowed to sleep on the floor of an uncle’s house on the understanding he could not be there during the day. I never found out why. I did, however, learn that the floor was so dirty Eric used his only blanket to sleep on rather than as a cover.

   The Bible tells us that, if anyone should fall on hard times, we must help them, including having them come and live with us. This is true even if they are a stranger or just a visitor. Furthermore, we must not forget to welcome strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels without knowing it.

   The day being Friday, I asked Eric if he would like to come home with me for the weekend while he thought about what he wanted to do long term. I lived too far away for him to stay with me indefinitely because of the difference in our working hours. He said he’d love to be my guest and certainly he proved to be an altogether delightful companion.

   I dropped him off at the office on Monday and left promptly for an appointment on the other side of town. On my return I was told he had left at 10 o’clock and would not be coming back. It was thought he had gone to a border town where accommodation was very much cheaper and work that much easier to find.

   Not long afterwards it seemed the whole world had heard of the truly heinous crime of which he was charged. I felt no great concern for him, however, for I knew from our brief time together that he would be absolutely certain in the knowledge that the Lord his God would fight for him, as He promised to do. Conducting his own defense most skillfully, Eric was duly acquitted, going on to argue for and receive the largest award for damages in a case for defamation that had ever come before the courts.

   He had gone on to live, study and work contentedly enough amongst those of the household of faith, but never felt able to reconnect with anyone from the past, with one exception. During the weekend he had stayed with me, he accompanied me to church. At the end of the service, I noticed a young lady I had not seen before apparently fighting back the tears. I asked if there was anything I could do to help. She said she’d appreciate it if I prayed for her. Motioning Eric to join me I asked if there was anything specific for which she needed prayer. She said well-meaning family and friends were pressuring her to get married and even though the years were passing her by, she had yet to meet the loving, caring, God-fearing, Christ-centered, truly Godly man on whom her heart was set.

   After we had prayed together and she had appeared to brighten considerably, having no plans for the rest of the day, I asked her if she would care to join us as I showed Eric the local sights. She said she would like that very much indeed. As the day progressed, it was truly heartening to see how well she and Eric were getting along together.

   I never saw her again after that day, but later I was told they had married. By all accounts their marriage was a happy one, ending together, perhaps fittingly, when the plane in which they were flying went down with the loss of all on board. I could not but recall Ruth’s moving words from the Bible: “Do not ask me to leave you, or to return from whence I came: for wherever you go, I will go, and where you live, I will live; wherever you will die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The Lord deal with me and harshly if anything but death part you and I”.

For further reading: Numbers 6:24-26; Leviticus 25:35; Hebrews 13:2; Joshua 23:10; Ruth 1:16-17