How Are We Remembered?

I sometimes choose not to look at the obituary page just because it does sadden me at times ... even though I don't know the faces on the page. Yesterday, I turned to the page and was shocked to see a huge picture of a friend who had "fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith". Priscilla was a fellow principal. Before that, she was the first lady rugby coach and I was the second.

I remember standing on the rugby pitch with her, eyeing our own boys and muttering under our breaths each time a silly error was made. Occasionally, we would shout at our teams. More often than not, we would be smiling at the sideline and chatting about everything else other than rugby and boys!

I never got to know Priscilla well. She was quite a private person. But she never failed to say hello each time we met at meetings, conferences and exhibitions. I had a sense of who she was by our little chats as we stood by the rugby pitches. Her quiet sense of humour, her no nonsense attitude when it came to the rules of the game, her gentle chiding and disciplined silence when an "unfair" whistle was blown, her emphasis on sportsmanship over winning, her open passion for the game and "her" boys, her warm handshake at the end of every game - they all gave me a glimpse of this lady coach, this educator.

I was proud to have had the privilege of sharing the sidelines with her, learning from her "unspoken" lessons on tactical rugby and character building. Mostly, I remember her for that twinkle in her eye and her warm smile each time we met.

I don't know who said this, but someone did - people won't remember you for what you said or for what you did but people will remember you for how you made them feel. So, how will WE be remembered?

God grant us the courage to always "fight the good fight" in His name, "finish the race" of our life here on earth and "keep the faith" that will bring us together again on those "beautiful shores" in our Father's Kingdom. Amen!

Till we meet again ... Rest in peace Priscilla.