A Grand (Manan) Lady

A beautiful woman passed away on Saturday, and although I never had the chance to meet her, she has been a huge blessing in my life. The first blessing that her life bestowed upon me was through her grandson,  the closest person I have to a brother figure in my life. I would never have had the countless experiences with Dan Stanley if it was not for this woman. By creating a family and constantly following God's will for her life, she brought me my best friend. This woman was so incredible that even in her promotion to glory she shed blessings to many. Though I mourned, and cried for her beautiful, remaining family members, I am able to look back and see just how God driven her passing was. Through her passing:

I was able to spread the comfort of the Holy Spirit,
I was able to bond with a relatively new friend and find lots of things we have in common,
I was able to meet many family members of my best friend,
I was able to leave my best friend speechless with a surprise visit,
I was able to visit Grand Manan for the first time,
I was able to see where my best friend grew up,
I was able to be blessed through the words of her son,
I was able to drive on and off of a ferry for the first time,
I was able to see my entire church family pray for her family,
I was able to be seen as an adult for the first time, by being asked if I had kids of my own,
I was able to realize just how amazing my job is, by letting me leave last minute,
I was able to connect with a good friend and be blessed by her willingness to help me,
I was able to grow my liking of dogs,
I was able to tent on a cliff for a first time,
I was able to respond to a call God had for my life,
I was able to gain new ideas surrounding death,
I was able to play ukulele in the car and hear my friend say, "this is what summer is supposed to be," while he sang along on route to the funeral.
I was able to see the response of the media and the government begin to reinstate the air ambulance service to the island of Grand Manan.
I was able to witness to an entire family on a ferry by offering to paint a 6 year old girl's nails, and teach her older brother how help do her eye makeup.

If these are just a FEW of the ways I was blessed through the death of this wonderful woman, I can't even imagine counting the ways her promotion blessed hundreds, if not thousands of people, and I can't even fathom the amount of blessings her life gave to this world. From all of this I learned just how important it is to be there for a friend, even if they say they want to be alone. I learned the amazing effects following the Spirit can have on the world. And most importantly, I learned part of what it means to be a woman of God. It means being a blessing even when you must leave your family behind and be united with Christ.

Thank you Gram Stanley,
you helped to change my life with out even knowing it,
let alone me.