Thank You

To those of you who have come to my blog, however it may have been....those that may have 'googled' Aaron McCoy's name, whether the link was emailed from one to another or by word of mouth. To those of you, wherever you are, who have left comments. Comments for Christina, for the kids, or just simply memories of Aaron....I say Thank You. In speaking with Aaron's family tonight at the funeral home, knowing that they have read every one of your comments, they are touched. I think that I can safely speak on their behalf to say thank you.

If you weren't there tonight, you should have been. You missed an incredible sight. The line ended in the parking lot....way out in the parking lot. It went inside the door, wrapped around inside the lobby, all the way down the hall and into the chapel. It was pretty neat. Pretty neat to know that in some small, large or special way...Aaron touched that very life.

Have you ever just sat and watched people? I'm a people watcher. I like to watch people do their thing, go about their lives, their daily grind. I sometimes look at people and wonder what their story is. Do they have parents that love them...did they come from a Christian home, are they happy, are they loved by someone? I like to look at their feet. Have you ever looked at someone's feet and wondered where those feet have taken them? Have they ever left their little small town, have those feet taken them to foreign soil...maybe a mission trip? Maybe they have to stand on their feet to work all day. Have they ever walked the floor at night with a baby who had colic. Have they been couped up in a hospital waiting room with a sick family member? What kind of person are they? Are they mean, miserable, unhappy? Are they caring and compassionate? Ever wondered who might have crossed that person's path? Have they ever heard about Jesus? Do they have joy in their lives? Certainly not if they've not been told that Jesus loves them...and that they actually believe it. People.

There were lots and lots of people there tonight. People mostly from our church, Central Baptist. Some from the Air Force. I've never seen so many stripes before...what do all those stripes mean, anyways? Does it really matter? Does it matter that Aaron was a TSgt (Tech Sergeant) and had given counsel (Christian counsel) to a MSgt (Master Sergeant)? Yes...why yes, in fact, it does matter. Other people that I didn't recognize. Maybe a neighbor that Aaron spoke to over the fence. Did he tell them about Jesus? I can't say for certain...but they surely knew when they were done speaking with Aaron McCoy - that he had joy in his life. He loved Jesus and he wanted everyone else to love Jesus, too. As I'm sitting here adding to my blog...a memory just occured to me. Our church provides quarterly devotionals. They are sitting around available for anyone who wants one. At the time Aaron was our Sunday School teacher and had encouraged each of us to get a copy of the devotional. I did get one. Mike and I ride to work together and at the time-on the way in to work-I would read that day's devotion aloud and we would discuss it. A week or two later, one night at church, Aaron happened to have one in his hand. He asked me if we had gotten a copy of it and I told him that we had. I told him that we had been reading it every morning together. He was so excited. So excited for us to read our devtional...together.

Christina did OK tonight. I never saw the bigger boys but was told that they had left early on. I'm glad. That's not a place for kids. Not something a kid should have to go through. Not till they're much older. Saturday morning I left the McCoy's home for a Wal Mart run. Christina need a thing or two. While I was there I bought 2 leather bound books. One gree...one brown. Journals. I bought them for Samuel and Chandler. I gave them to each boy and told them that whn they had a memory of their Daddy...write it down, if you have a sad feeling, write it down. They each asked if they could put pictures in it. Of course. Please do.

Thank you, Lord, for bringing these memories of Aaron back to me. And thank you, yes you, for being a blessing to the McCoy family. Continue to leave comments. Aaron's sisters and parents are reading them and have been blessed. Thank you David and Linda McCoy for raising such a fine man. Thank you, Christina, for sharing Aaron with us. We are better people. Thank you, Aaron, being an example of love. For making me realize that I need to love a little deeper, squeeze a little tighter, speak a little sweeter...and to remember why I'm here....

Matthew 28:16-20

16) Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountian where Jesus had told them to go. 17) When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18) Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

The Great Commission

Aaron lived it-live like Aaron!

Thank you-Aaron,

~Shannon