Was that me or God?

I got a call from my church one morning recently to tell me that my longtime friend and church-mate had passed away.  I was asked to go to her home and check in with her family. When I got there, she was still in her bed as peaceful as could be. Her daughter said she thought her mom was ready to go and be with God.  After visiting a bit with her daughter and the hospice folks we gathered around her bed and prayed some prayers. I told her daughter that I would help in any way needed, including her mom’s funeral.

The day before the funeral, our pastor told me the part I would play and that the family had asked for me to say a few words about my friend. I thought this request would be easy to carry out for my dear friend and that I could just about do it off the top of my head right then.

I went home that afternoon and began thinking about how I would present that which was already on my mind. Nothing much changed my feelings that I could get up in church and share what I already knew and felt. So off to bed I went, seeking a peaceful night and praying for God’s guidance in my mission for my friend and her family

Just after midnight, I began dreaming and seemed to be in and out of a full sleep. As my mind turned in this state I was in, I began thinking about a folk song that was sung by a folk group trio I used to go and hear perform back in the early 1960’s. The group was the Journeymen and the song was, Run Maggie Run – (Chase the Rising Sun). I knew every word of the song and its melody. It kept going through my mind and the next thing I knew, I was altering the lyric and putting in my thoughts about my deceased friend. After an hour or so of this song racing through my mind and my adding my special lyric, I thought I’d better at least get up and type some of this down on my computer. It was about 2:00 a.m. and I carefully rolled out of bed so as not to disturb my wife.

As I cranked up my computer, I started writing down my lyrics for this tune. While I used the tune for the base of my message, I used a slightly different format and a couple of extra verses. I had actually contacted an old work mate the day before, that had taken classes from my friend in the local technical college and easily worked some of her comments into my soon to be poem remembering my old friend. My poem named, An Ode to Bobbi, was ready to go and I read it to the family and our congregation at her funeral. It goes like this:

“I sat out one morning beside my garden spring, heard my old friend Bobbi died and I began to sing. I began to sing, I began to sing, heard my old friend Bobbi died and I began to sing.

Me and my friend Bobbi laughed together all the time, Bobbi always cheered me up, as an angel she’ll be fine, as an angel she’ll be fine. Yes she’ll be fine, yes she’ll be fine, she’ll be there to cheer us up; as God’s angel she’ll be fine.

Bobbi taught good business skills to some young workmates of mine, said she was a no-nonsense gal, very professional all the time, very professional all the time. Said they learned a lot from her, they didn’t know it all, said she was a sharp dresser, like she’s going to a ball, like she’s going to a ball.

Bobbi’s sense of humor enriched many lives around; God can use that funny girl to be His Heavenly Clown, yes to be His Heavenly Clown. So, Run Bobbi run, Run Bobbi run, get everything together with God and someday we’ll be one. Run Bobbi run, Run Bobbi run, get everything together with God and someday we’ll be one.”