Cumulus: The Great Cloud of Witnesses + 1

Roger and Sydney, January 2014

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith… [Hebrews 12:1-2, King James Bible]

As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses around us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. [Hebrews 12:1-2, Good News Bible]

Roger (who liked the Good News translation of the Bible because he could understand it better, but loved the sound of the King James version) ran with unflagging determination the race that lay before him and never took his eyes off Jesus. On one of his last lucid days, he stood at the door to his back yard, reached up to heaven and made the sign of the cross, then said, "Come on, Jesus, stop screwing around, I'm ready to come home!"

Jesus took him home today, surrounded by the family he loved without ceasing, who loved him without ceasing. And now he's part of that great cloud of witnesses that surrounds us.

He was always taking care of me when we lived in Tucson, fixing our cars and our faucets, showing me how to fix our cars and faucets, sharing everything he had—including his heart and his home—whenever I needed it. And I needed it a lot. I know he'll still be taking care of me from that crowd of witnesses around me, and he's probably telling bad jokes right now to try to get us all to laugh instead of cry.