Greetings! I’ve used this forum to process loss and
celebrate life on many occasions. Those posts have covered a variety of people
and things that hold meaning in life, including family, friends, celebrities,
vehicles, places and our cherished family cat, Abishag. Last month Shannan and
I attended the memorial service for the Very Reverend Bevel Jones. He was a
Bishop in the United Methodist Church. I took a class with Bevel in graduate
school. He had a profound impact on my life. One thing in particular I learned
from Bevel was the power of gratitude. I use it regularly and I share Bevel’s
story at the end of the term with EVERY single class I teach.
At Bevel’s service, I looked around the room. There were
numerous women and men I know from school, work and the community. There were
others in the room who have greatly influenced my life and the choices I’ve
made. It dawned on me that many of the folks there were in poor health.
Afterwards, I mentioned to Shannan the reality that we’d be attending more of
these much sooner than anyone would like.
And so it is. April 14, 2018, The Right Reverend J. Chester
Grey, III died. Chet had been ill for some time. This is not the place to
chronicle the situation of my youth, suffice it to say, worse than being born
into an unfortunate situation, I willfully made far too many bad choices.
Around the age of 21, I finally attempted to make a change. It wasn’t working as
I hoped. At that time, Chet was the Rector at Saint Bartholomew’s Episcopal
Church. We met by happenstance. He recognized my situation at the time, and
like no one before, he saw potential. I didn’t even believe him. I thought he
was just saying things priests say to troubled souls. The truth is Chet Grey
saved my life. Make no mistake, that is not an understatement.
Our time together wasn’t always an easy road. I’ve never
been good at accepting help. I fought back. When I make positive strides, out
of nowhere, I’d try to sabotage my own progress. Chet knew the only way to help
me was to fight with me. Fighting was all I knew. It worked, and I’m so
grateful.
More than once, I followed the lessons of Bevel Jones and
made sure to tell Chet in words and writing of my abiding gratitude for his
help, his guidance and his friendship. He was my boss, my priest, my mentor, my
friend, my champion and the hero who pulled me from the wreckage of the past
and shoved me into the potential of the future. For that, Chet Grey will have
my enduring gratitude.
Say Thank You!
Tom
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