Guin

After my last post I went looking for what I said at Guin's funeral in 2007. Guin's dad Scott called me the night before the funeral to ask if I would share about Guin at the service. I made Bethany come up front with me knowing I spoke for both of us, but being the mom of a 3 day old, she was not going to want to share. But I wanted to share with you just a little about Guin. I could go on for days, but here is just a little something.

Please forgive me as I read to you today. My name is Bekah Atkinson. I met Guin in 2003 in our apartment complex. Bethany and David lived in 214, my sister and I in 211, and the Pronovost’s in 113. We dominated the North-East corner of Richelieu, and we loved it. Every three day weekend, Fourth of July, and Easter, we would spend the whole day together. Sometimes we would bar-b-que, and sometimes we have our formal progressive dinner. We girls loved dressing up and the guys were good enough sports to put on a tie. It was like having roommates you never had to clean up after. Guin was often waiting for us to come home from work so she could show us something new Emma had learned, or the new purse she had made, or the new recipe she had made diabetic friendly. I very clearly remember the day before Emma was born when she waddled upstairs, 9 months pregnant, with her swollen ankles to show off the apple pie she had baked from scratch. Guin was in my wedding party, and I know she was in many of yours, as I saw the dresses in her closet. Don’t worry, she never complained of the dresses, even when she had to wear one of them pregnant. She loved her friends and had their pictures everywhere.

The great thing about today is that I don’t have to convince you of how wonderful Guin was; you are here because you know that. We all have stories to share, and am excited to hear yours over lunch. And yet even through all of this sorrow of the loss of a relationship, I have found joy. I know that Guin is in heaven with our Father, Christ Jesus. Guin accepted Christ as her savior as a girl, but later left her roots questioning if what she had always known was right. Over the past year Guin has come back to her foundation. She and I were looking through her year books one time, and she found someone’s note in the back that praised her for her strong faith in Christ. She looked at me and said “I want to find that faith again.” So Guin came back to church. Thank you Scott, for giving her a bible. She had it with her every Sunday. Sometimes the lessons are tough, and we find we are doing things we really know we shouldn’t (even though deep down we already knew it.) But Guin found people there who loved her and she loved them back.

Guin loved bringing Emma to church, knowing that there were people who would play with her and show her Christ’s love. Please pray for Emma. She may remember today in her short term memory, but she will most likely not remember Guin. That is one of the most difficult things to deal with today. It is up to us to show Emma pictures of Guin and tell her stories of how wonderful and beautiful her mother was. Guin loved being a mother and wanted Emma to know how much happiness she brought her mother.

I know that Guin is now in heaven, and her body is healed. She never has to take another insulin shot again. And I have joy and confidence that I will see her again. Not because I am a good person, or because I simply believe there is a God, but I, like Guin, have asked Jesus to be Lord of my life. I too, am very sad that Guin is gone. I will miss laugh and her smile. She was a good faithful friend with a giant heart. I pray that you will seek healing through Christ’s love.