I mentioned earlier in the week that the file drawer filled with funeral messages (all of which I chose to keep) provided me much on which to reflect. Many years ago, I worked with a nurse assigned to the licensing branch of the Texas Department of Public Welfare. I met Vera Taylor shortly after I came to work in the State Office in Austin in the mid-1970s and we immediately became friends.
Vera died from cancer on May 9, 1984 at the age of 62. Prior to her death, Vera asked if I would officiate at her funeral service. Certainly, for me, it was an honor. We had become very close friends. Included in the file drawer were three different thank you notes I received following the service. Two were from colleagues at work and one was from a childhood friend who requested a copy of the message.
I consider it a real privilege to have know Vera Taylor. When you consider the span of her life, I only knew her a short while; yet in the years I thought of her as a friend, there was much in her life deserving of respect, admiration, and love. One could not spend time with Vera and fail to learn something of the value she gave to life. I found in her qualities that hopefully would one day be more characteristic in my own life.
Vera had a deep appreciation for life and for the world in which she lived. Everything from the mischievous sparkle in her eyes that signaled gaiety and merriment, to her sensitivity to the simple beauty of her surroundings outlined her awareness of how very special life is.
When I reflect on the things I gained from her life, I will always remember her for her courage, her determination, and her faith. The last two and a half years of Vera's life were marked with one physical difficulty after another. Yet, despite problem after problem, she refused to give up, retreat to bitterness, or to fall prey to lasting depression. She was intent on making the most of each day. Vera knew that God would take care of the tomorrows and she was intent on living the todays.
Vera's approach to the problem of broken health was very much like the Psalmist who said: "Yea thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me."
Vera didn't worry about the tomorrows because her faith was in the one who held tomorrow. Shortly before her death, she sometimes expressed conflicting thoughts. There were times when the pain was so intense and her limitation so confining that she expressed frustration over her broken health and longed to be free from the physical limitations of her humanity. On other occasions, Vera simply remained quiet, solemn as if lost in contemplation. The tears which moistened her eyes told the secret that she struggled with thoughts of leaving behind those whom she loved. Her family and friends were of such importance to her that thoughts of separation were painful.
Prior to joining the licensing branch of the Texas Department of Public Welfare, Vera endeared herself to members of the Texas Legislature, their guests and staff for many years by serving as a nurse in the first aid station at the Capitol. Yet despite her close association and friendships with the influential men and women who comprise the power structure of our state, Vera managed never to lose her sensitivity and compassion for those whose circumstances that were less fortunate. Perhaps the 68th Legislature said it best when they stated in their concurrent resolution: "Miss Taylor is well known for her lively sense of humor, her immense inner strength, and her tremendous willingness to serve those in need. She has earned the respect and praise of her colleagues for her high degree of professionalism and for the genuine sense of dedicated concern she has continuously demonstrated toward her work.
Following her death, I was surprised to learn that in her will, Vera left me an antique commercial butter churn. She knew that Treva and I liked antiques. It has been displayed in a prominent place in every home we have lived in since 1984. It serves as a trigger to remind me of a wonderful friend who contributed much to the welfare of those in need.
All My Best!
Don
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