By: Pammy Tokajer
One of my female mentors growing up suddenly passed away this past weekend. I was remembering some of the things she did for our congregation. Sis. Shirley was a woman, pastor’s wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, etc. Her role in our lives was to steer us on the straight and narrow path to becoming great ladies when we got older in life.
I remember one Friday night youth service, and it started to snow (which didn’t happen very often in Pensacola). We had service and they cut it short so we could go out and play in the snow and have snowball fights outside. I remember Sis. Shirley threw a snowball at me. It hit the ground and did not break, so I threw one back at her. It hit her jacket and rolled off to the ground. What a fun memory of this great lady.
No matter what came her way, she always had a smile on her face and kept on going on. She never let anything defeat her or stop what she was doing. Being a Pastor’s wife wasn’t always glamorous by any means, but she sure made it look easy. I grew up with her daughters in church and in high school. They were pastor’s kids which are a label all pastors’ kids were referred to growing up. They didn’t always have it easy either but they made the best of the situation.
Sis. Shirley’s husband, Bro. Paul, passed away in February after a lengthy illness and since then, she just grieved, but didn’t show it on her face. She had a smile on her face at all times. Even though she wasn’t well in the past weeks, she still smiled through it all.
Now she will have a Home Going Celebration this Thursday. There will be lots of people there to say their goodbyes and cry, but she has no more worries in this life anymore. She is where she is supposed to be - with her Messiah now. No more pain, no more tears or anything - just a brand-new body in the L-RD. Praise G-D.
When it is our time to go and leave this old body, remember we won’t care about anything anymore and we will be standing in the Presence of our King Messiah! We all long to be where Sis. Shirley is now: in the Presence of the King!