Andy died today...

Andy died today. Those words look so stark and unforgiving written down. Surrounded by his family and others who loved him, his breath stopped and his soul slipped away, back to Source of his creation. His illness was vicious and unrelenting. The time he spent in the hospital seemed all too long and all too short. And now comes the ever after.
I sat and listened as friends spoke of Andy today. His passion for peace and justice issues was an integral part of who he was. Today however, he was being remembered not as a champion for causes but as a good man, full of joy and forgiveness, a saxophone player and lover of jazz, biker, father, grandfather, husband, friend, counselor, teacher and pastor.
Good is really an anemic word these days. Like "love" its overuse has cheapened its value. Along with other old fashioned words like honor and courage, goodness is to be desired. There is no other word that comes to my mind to describe Andy. I have known two other people who were good from the inside out and they, like Andy, were treasures.
I don’t know how you get to be good. Are you born with a genetic predisposition to be good or is it a skill that you can learn, a spiritual gift that you can develop? Being good is not being perfect or doing something perfectly or doing something important. It is a state of grace, an inward acceptance of one’s own shadows that allows you to first love yourself. Then you are able to see others as they are and love them without having to change them. Good people are more about grace than judgement and they love because they have been loved.
Good people almost always are surrounded by joy and gratitude. Their being shines, lights up and warms those who draw near. Like the children’s grace...God is good, God is great... I want to be good, Lord. Show me how. Thank you for Andy’s presence in my world. I will remember him every time I hear a saxophone play or hear laughter or listen to jazz. Lead him gently home, Lord. Amen.