Cheryl Mendoza

So the day finally came, and my first reaction was sadness, then I pondered and then I laughed.   I was sad because I know that at the loss of Billy Graham, his family and friends will be going through a grieving process.  The first moments of separation are the worst.  I was also sad because it seems that these are the days that we need a Billy Graham.

But that didn’t sound right.  As I started to ponder the thought, I realized that what we really needed are “men and women like Billy Graham.”

I looked at the comment section of an article I read this morning.  It was one of the only times, that reading comments thread did not make me sad.  Most of the time comments on articles, no matter what the topic is, seem to dissolve into name calling or some kind of argument.  This time it didn’t.  People told of their admiration of this man, even those who were not religious.  That caught my attention!

The “good name” this man had was astounding!  Much of it with those who agreed with him, but also with those who didn’t.  That is influence!

That is the kind of woman I want to be!  One who loves God, and loves other people!  That I would do it so well, that even if we disagree, we are still good to go and have coffee together.

I almost forgot…. I did laugh.  Why?  Well, I saw people posting a lovely bible verse, speculating about the first words that God would say to this beloved preacher.  It made me think….. what would be Billy’s first words?  I pictured the scene of in my mind…..

Billy walking up and holding out his hand to introduce himself and saying, “It’s good to put a face with the name.”

Don’t tell me that God doesn’t speak to us through laughter!