All for one...

... And one for All.

Thank you Elizabeth Ward: A Tribute

I recently read a tweet, as it happened a final one, that read:

“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory.”

Today I look back and remember Elizabeth Ward, a lady who has been an encourager, helper and one who opened her doors to serve others.

Whilst this Easter weekend was a great time of reflection that not even death can hold a good person down it also delivered the news that Elizabeth had herself breathed her last. She had been battling a crippling case of cancer that suddenly took hold of her in the autumn of last year.

Up until 18 months ago all Elizabeth to me was some parent to some of the kids from a youth group that I served in and I vaguely knew that she helped with the international students around our town.

I didn’t know that she lost her husband to cancer several years ago. That she was quirky, forthright with her thoughts and extremely loving.

I also didn’t know that she was willing to help out with other’s needs.  Especially in that hour, or hours, that comes to us all where we desperately need one another. Our need was for the charity that I worked for, operating with next to no resources, needed to pull off a minor miracle in the production of paper bags for a client. The client was a prestigious car company but the makers of the bags, the ones who we were really trying to help were from a small charity looking to help educate and opportunity for street children in New Delhi.

Elizabeth and others came to stick, glue, tie labels and carefully prepare these bags. Each done individually. All 4000 of them. Oh the monotony of it. 2 weeks with a small band of volunteers we persevered together.

After Elizabeth attended one of our simulations where we recreated, somewhat poetically, an activity that is based on making paper bags.

Then some months later a chance encounter allowed me to share a waiting space with her and she was highly animated around the persecution, in particular of Christians in Northern Iraq. Proclaiming to write to politicians, to leaders, to others in order to see how she could serve and in particular to open her house to help others.

I did not, personally, know any refugees. Earlier in the year we had helped with galvanising support for Syria and seen the UK welcome a number of displaced people. I also knew many groups operating in the area who were all highlighting the human tragedy of displacement but none the movement of people to here. However, I did happen to know a girl, from Kazakhstan, who was on a life journey to return to where her origins were, in North Korea, and her heart to serve. Her recourse was leading her to both work with us whilst undertaking a doctorate so she could become a teacher for others about the values of empathy, “one another-ness” and serving. She was only supported by a small group of friends. Elizabeth thought hard and said yes she’d love to help and offer a home to help her along.

It was here that I got to know the kind hearted woman who willingly opened up her doors to a stranger, who helped someone get to where they were going, who stopped to listen to the needs of another and sought to do something with what she had. At one time in my family’s history others too opened up their doors to us strangers after being unwillingly removed from our home country and into a strange one and allowed us the time to find our feet.

I’m grateful for sharing in this small part of her life and to walk albeit briefly with the saints in this world. Thank you Elizabeth. I will remember what you have done for the least of these.

Some photos from Easter weekend

Nearly nine decades apart

Lucy "Dadi" is 88 and Ezra just 45 days old. 

It's Easter Day today and seeing 'life' being celebrated today through the reason for the season but also through these two special people meeting- it's a collision of a 'full life' and a 'new life'. 

A very humble union between Ezra and his Great grand aunty.