Bill & Cathy

Forty-one years ago Cathy had a stroke and was in a coma for sixty days. I wonder what those who knew Bill were saying; would he marry her if she recovered? Would he marry her if she recovered but had permanent damage? Would he take on an impaired wife with a young son when he had his future ahead of him?

The phone rang today; it was Bill. Cathy, his wife, went home to be with Jesus last night. No more wheelchair and no more impaired speech; she’s singing and dancing tonight in endless day. But was her speech really impaired if one had an ear to hear? And wasn’t her life and marriage one continuous dance with Bill and Jesus and those around her? And didn’t she sing with the Becket Praise Team Sunday after Sunday after Sunday? Didn’t she sing at Fourth of July parades and Berkshire County gatherings of churches and Pittsfield concerts? There she was, in her wheelchair, holding her microphone, singing with her husband and the rest of the team.

And what an ear for music and harmony she had. The stroke did not impair her hearing; she was the one who coached and critiqued the musical group in practice. But what else did Cathy hear? What music from the spheres vibrated through her soul and spirit?

How many troubled men and women saw Cathy and thought, “I don’t have it so bad after all. If she can do what she’s doing then I can do what I need to do. If she can experience the grace and love of God, if she can have a wonderful marriage, then I need to accept the love God has for me too and I need to grow up in my relationships with others”?

Bill is sending me the most recent CD of the Becket Praise Team; it was recorded live at the United Methodist Church in Dalton, MA. As Vickie and I listen to it we’ll visualize Cathy and Bill and the rest of the group; and when we hear angels via that CD we’ll know we’re hearing Cathy in the midst of them.