Wes
When I think of the best men I know, or have ever known, Wes Schmidt is one of the first names to come to mind.I never heard him say a single bad thing about anybody.
I knew him to make countless visits to people who were hurting.
He gave when he had a lot, and he gave when he had a little.
He was a mentor to some of the finest people I know, including my friend Mike, my friend Brady, and my sister.
He treated family like friends and friends like family.
He was one of the patriarchs of my church. He was a teacher. Not only was he an elder, he was one of the few "full-time elders" we have ever had. His door was always open, in fact, he was seldom behind it. I have no idea how many hundreds of people he counseled.
We celebrated a memorial for Wes today, who beat us all home. Brady already wrote about him, but I needed to add my two cents.
During the dark days following my divorce, I wasn't a pleasant person to be around. I spent a lot of time in my black hole of an apartment. I didn't go out much, and very few came to see me. But Wes did. I don't remember a single thing we talked about, but I remember that he didn't allow any wallowing in misery. And I remember that the place was brighter after he left.
Wes had these words underlined in his Bible:
"Finally, brothers, good-bye. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you."
I'll miss Wes. I can't wait to see him.
posted by Thurman8er @ 1:22 PM
2 Comments:
I didn't know about how he ministered to you. I was deeply touched by the service today and kept thinking, what a great, humble man.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Isn't it amazing that the acts of "touching" others with compassion, acceptance, hope and strength are so often known only to God. That's what makes these acts so precious. God has this miraculous way of "carrying" us through the quiet actions of others when we aren't able to stand and walk.
Wes was no doubt met by Cecil (and countless others) and they probably said to each other, "I KNEW I'd find you here in Paradise!"
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