yesterday at keith duncan’s funeral i saw so many families from the days at Aldersgate when we were all raising young kids — folks who have gone other ways since then, and i don’t see them so much anymore, including the duncans. but here we all were again, sharing the grief over the loss of one of our kids we raised together. the lightseys, the romos, the wildings, the hales, the shepherds, the armatys’s, vicki proctor — she sat with me. it was comforting to see all these families and i was so thankful that all these people have helped me raise my kids and we have all loved one another.

and seeing folks whom i knew but that i had no idea knew the duncans… my next door neighbor’s son in law lived was there - turns out he lived next door to the duncans for 10 years. so many of these people… we are connected in ways we don’t know.

i told ellen that i hoped she and her friends would come away from this funeral with an understanding that their lives mean so much more than they can see, and that their successes and failures affect so many more people than they know. that they are loved just like keith, by that many people. and if they really would understand that for themselves, what a difference that could make.

i think if i had understood that about myself at their age, i would not have made such stupid mistakes, such selfish choices. perhaps i could have seen life from a bigger perspective, and it might not have been so hard.

after yesterday, i know even more now that i am thankful for my community here. i live in a medium size town, one where you don’t know how many people know each other until something like this happens to bring you all together. back in college, i was so anxious to get out of here after i graduated, but the Lord had other plans, and for that i am so thankful. these people, this place, my life lived here, gives such purpose to me.

i have said for 25 years i could never see myself being buried in the college station cemetery, because i just didn’t want to call college station my home. now i think as i understand my place in this community, and how much my life has been shaped and honed and made better by the people who have helped me live my life and raise my family here, i would be proud to be buried here, making the final statement that college station is indeed my home.

maybe that’s what keith’s life and death is to teach us: that home is here and we are loved.