John.....and Earl

In the 1990s my wife, son and I had the wonderful experience of befriending two men who were elderly in the physical state but childlike mentally for they had spent their entire lives in institutions, the last of which was by far the best and provided a peaceful time of repose before they crossed that river into the Celestial City... as Bunyan would write of it. I had written a eulogy for John, he the teacher and me the student, and came across it tonight as I was rummaging through old papers and thought that I would share it with you:

John's mother passed away when he was very young but the memories remained seventy years later. One was that his mother told him "John, you will be a king one day." John's father remarried and gave away all the children to relatives. Mentally, John remained a child. He did not go with relatives but to institutions where he lived until his death December 30th, 1999 at the age of 79. In 1977 John came to this nursing home to live. He was a source of joy and inspiration to the staff, his neighbors, to the various professionals and ministers that he would meet and to all that would be honored to be his friend. To know John was to dispel any doubts that mental acumen is what defines character. To know him also makes it abundantly understood that a disability applies only to that particular area affected. John had the ability to teach, not in the context that we think of most, but by example. He taught us to be dedicated. The overwhelming testimony of those who knew him was that if there were a Christian service at the nursing home, John would not only be there but he would be the first to arrive. He taught us how to be a true friend. One staff member was moved when after saying something critical in John's presence of his friend Earl, John's gentle rebuke of "He's my friend!" had its correctional affect. John taught us how to give as he freely gave to his friend from his few possessions. He taught how to forgive unkindness and forget past offences. He even taught us how to think, for upon seeing a picture of his most beloved friend Jesus with a crown of thorns on His head and blood upon His brow... John cried. Whereas I came to love the same Jesus, this reaction was not within my capacity to think or consider. John was a true teacher in how to be thankful of our blessings and look forward to the day when all tears would be dried. Today, John is with his Jesus, with his friend Earl and many others whom he loved. He was a soldier and fought the good fight. He leaves us humbly to carry on. He positively affected this world in the task he was given. He contributed in mighty ways. The story was told to his surviving brother and other family members who travelled cross country to honor John, that he once played the part of a king in a play at the nursing home and said "My mother told me I would be a king one day." John, who never attended school, was graduated to heaven with honors and given a crown. The Bible tells us that we will throw our crowns at the feet of another, something that John would have done even here on earth.