An unexpected memorial service of a dear friend was where we were traveling to, as we turned out of our driveway.  We faced a long day of driving ahead of us, We turned onto the ramp of the highway in our small town. Indianapolis was at least 8 hours away without any stops on this cold winter’s day. As I faced the long drive ahead, I remembered my friend.

My thoughts jumped to my husband driving and then to our special friend who passed away unexpectedly a few days after Christmas. She had been an intelligent, multi-talented woman who had been greatly loved by her family. Also, she had a deep faith in Christ, demonstrated by her love and ministry to the homeless in her community. One of her friends later said at the memorial service that the homeless there knew has as “the Battery Lady.” She always brought batteries when she visited them at the homeless camp.

Her husband and her six grown children were now in a silent trauma as they experienced a loss that they had never imagined would happen less than a month before. She was multi-cultural too as her parents were both Chinese but she had been born in Thailand and emigrated later as a child to the U.S. with her family. As a young adult, she had met and married her husband who was Caucasian. They had moved to the Indianapolis area from California as they sought a better lifestyle for their family. 

One thing I loved about our friend was that she had a great zest for life. It was often portrayed in the simple things found in her daily routine. One thing was  how she loved her coffee. She made it more special by adding a bit of whipped cream to it and savoring every sip. Another  her way zest for life in little details showed was she made her own sourdough pancakes.  She even made her own sourdough starter. She paid close attention to it, separating it when it became too large in its growth. Often when we would visit for a few days, she would make those pancakes for breakfast. She loved these simple details that just made life more interesting and fun.

 Plus, it was always fun to visit her family. It wasn’t a true stay at her house unless she and her husband pulled out one of heir many creative board games for all of us to play around the table. These were not your regular board games, mind you. These were games which they found at special board games stores and board game conferences.

Our friend exemplified the scripture, “And whatever you do, do it heartily as to the LORD and not to men,” in Colossians 3:23. She carried that passion with her in whatever activity she did. I hope that I can live my life like that by savoring the little details in life. But also, remembering to take time to ease other’s pain as they may be down on their luck. She often, herself, was in physical pain as she helped others. She didn’t talk much  about her faith or her pain but demonstrated it  by loving others well from her family, to her friends to the homeless.