My picture of the day comes from a funeral service I attended today. It was a lovely service - a tribute to a great man. I had a deep fondness for Mr. Rankin, who passed away this week after a long illness.
I first met Mr. Rankin at my parents' church, now mine, and at Walmart when my girls were little. He was a greeter and always seemed genuinely glad to see ME. That is such a gift - to be someone who is glad to meet everyone. Someone who makes you feel welcome, even just walking into the grocery store with 3 kids in tow, hoping you will get through this trip without incident. I don't know how long Mr. Rankin was a greeter at Walmart, but it seemed like a long time, yet not long enough. I still think of him and miss him when I make my "every other day" visit.
Although, I haven't been seeing Mr. Rankin at the store, I have been seeing him somewhat regularly for over a year now. When my husband, daughter and I began volunteering at the nursing home once a month, guess who I found? Yes, it was Mr. Rankin. We showed up one Sunday a month and take the residents to the church service that is held in the dining hall. I was delighted when, during my first visit, I found Mr. Rankin. After that visit, he became the first person we would check in on and take down to church. He was always delighted to see us. Our visits blessed me much more than they could have blessed him.
Of course, by the time I met Mr. Rankin, he had lived the vast majority of his life. It was a life well lived. He served his country well. He served his family well. He served his state well. He served his community well. He served His God well. I am sure that He is well pleased with Mr. Rankin.
I am better having known him, even as little and for as briefly a time as I did. He gave me the gift of feeling special and he did that simply and honestly. He believed it himself, which causes me to believe it, too. Thank you, Mr. Rankin.
he sure was a sweet man. :)
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