This past week, our church and our little community lost a farmer.  Not just any farmer, one whose impact will never leave this planet.  It all happened on Saturday night when he danced his way into heaven.  All who knew him can see him doing it and all who knew him can see the Lord opening up his arms and shouting, “Well done, Lee, I am so proud of you, my good man and faithful servant!”

Mr. Lee Russell, wow, what a man.  After he passed on Saturday, I watched and read and cried and paid attention to many, many people in our community who posted tributes to him, shared memories, and who clearly loved him.  I recalled a lot of their memories because I too grew up in the church with him being one of the cornerstones.  Over the years, he and his late wife, Larry, helped raise a lot of us kids besides their own, helped their neighbors, hosted get togethers, enjoyed a good golf game as much as cards, and were good friends to our families.  He and my Daddy played golf together, laughed together and at each other, farmed the lands together, did business together.  Just last week, they shared their final laughs telling tall tales about who cheated the most at their golf games.  I’m sure when Daddy left that day, his heart was heavy, because he knew.  He just knew.

I believe that there are a lot of special people put on this earth to forge a path, to have influence, the good kind, to lead the way for others, to lead others to the promised land.  I believe some days they are few and far between because many can’t hold on when things get hard.  But then there are those rocks, those strongholds, that never never let go of the purpose for which they are intended. Mr. Russell was one of them.

Mr. Russell helped build our church, in more ways than one, he worked hard at farming his land, and helped farmers sell their tobacco at his warehouse so they could make a living .  He was involved in our community serving on this board or that board each one with a purpose that would help our hometown.  And he did all this while he and his wife were providing for and raising four good children, not just this or that kind of kids, four good, kind, great humans, who are still that way and who went on to give him 9 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren.  Their family was like the Kennedy compound in a good way!  When another baby was coming, we’d laugh and say, “Here comes another Russell!” but it was always meant in a celebratory way as their family grew stronger with the birth of each child.  It was something of which we all were in awe and which we all want out of life.  And it was well-deserved.

Mr. Russell led a Sunday School class for over 60 years teaching generations more about the bible than any man I know.  To think about the impact those generations will have for generations to come all because of him… he was humbly and maybe unknowingly a scholar in his very own right and one that could put some divinity professors to shame.  When he talked, you knew to listen, because it was a gift, he was a gift.

In the last few years, we could all see Mr. Russell’s health declining.  He moved slower with time, began coming with his walker to church, and eventually had to be pushed in a wheelchair. But he never stopped being there, his children made sure he was there in his special seat every Sunday, until one day, his pew was empty Sunday after Sunday.  His absence in that pew caused everyone to know things were changing because Mr. Russell didn’t miss church, he was church, church was where he was, even if we were all still in the building.

In closing, I could share a lot of memories of Mr. Russell myself but some of my most precious are the ones the last few times I saw him.  Seeing him come down the aisle with that walker and asking him if he wanted to dance.  He’d give that laugh and say yes and I’m sure he would have if he could.  Or leaning over every time I saw him in his wheelchair or in his pew to tell him I needed my shugar for the day.  He’d always smile and turn his cheek towards me so I could get a kiss.  With each one, I knew in my heart that time was going way too fast, that this place would not be the same much longer.  

Today, it’s not the same.  And you know, I don’t think we want it to be.  We want it to be the way he left it, the way he worked so hard to protect and love and nurture. What a blessing to have known someone who can be missed so much!  To Mr. Russell, if you read this, don’t be telling those tall tales on my Daddy now, God already knows!  But please keep an eye on him anytime you’d like and have your golf clubs ready.   Until we all see you again…..lots of love and lots of shugar.  

Love,

Tracey
Just a Crazy Girl