A Very California Christmas
Our family Christmas pics this year. What can I say? We live in Oceanside.
Archived entries for Family
Thank You Nolie
Many of you know that for the past four years my mother-in-law, Nolie Quick, has been battling cancer. On September 30, at the age of 59, she passed away with my wife Jenell at her side. Nolie’s illness was a major factor in our decision to move back to California over a year ago after having been away for 15 years. As I’m sure you can imagine the last 4 weeks have been more hectic than normal with Jenell shuttling back and forth from Oceanside to Wrightwood to help care for her mom and spend as much time as possible with her during her final days and weeks. We feel deeply blessed that we were able to be here during this critical time.
Jenell has been incredible to watch through all this. She’s a caregiver at heart, and goes immediately into nurturing mode whenever anyone around her is in need, and, surprisingly, she played this part for her dying mother as well. I’ve been powerfully struck these past few weeks by what a truly magnificent woman I’m married to. I know it’s going to be tough for her without her mom, but I have also seen her exhibit genuine joy in the confidence that her mother is presently being comforted by a great and good God.
This, of course, is a testament to Nolie – a woman who’s unshakable hope and quiet tenacity became a benchmark for me of what it means to have faith. And Nolie’s gifts were powerful. She was creative, hospitable, and wryly intelligent. She never treated me with anything less than respect, even though I was, for a time, the worst possible thing that could have happened to her only daughter. She treated me as more than her son-in-law, somehow deciding at some point to treat me as one of her pastors – even though her mastery of the Bible certainly exceeded mine and would have rivaled that of any minister I know.
Of course, Nolie was also my daughter’s grandmother, and it is the loss of her presence in their lives at such a young ages (16, 10, and 18) that grieves me most. What they could have learned from her about life, love, and faith over the next 20 years or so would have been invaluable. Certainly what they have already received can’t be measured; kindness, joy, silliness, creativity, innocence, and perhaps most importantly, a hunger and thirst for righteousness. These are the gifts Nolie gave her daughter and her granddaughters, and for that I am grateful.
This kind of sentiment was overwhelming at Nolie’s memorial service last Saturday, where so many talked to us about how Nolie had been a deeply impacting person in their lives, blessing them with her abundant grace. I heard stories of generosity and encouragement, each of which originated with Nolie, that traced back through the decades. Her’s was a life of clear and lasting witness to the power of Christ’s love and acceptance.
Thank you Nolie. Your life was truly a gift and we all look forward to seeing you again.
