Today a very dear friend, one of God's finest really, left this life to join her Father in Heaven. Rose (McNish) King was the spark of all things to my childhood memory. She was one of my beloved scout leaders, and those of you who know me well have likely heard me fondly recall the memories of those times. Those three ladies...Rose, Ann and Judy...were the fearless ones. From camping in the thunderstorms, to loading us onto buses for the World's Fair, scaring our socks off at the Bell Witch Cave ...they taught us about the charms of becoming a young woman and reminded us the gifts God bestowed upon us as young women. They didn't take no for an answer, or if they did I never heard of it. We sang carols at the local nursing home and marched in the Christmas parade. We sold cookies like nobody's business and had sleepovers for any reason we could find. Throughout my elementary years these ladies banned together and committed themselves to make a difference in our lives. Our troop was riddled with extreme personalities...shy, overbearing, attentive (not very many), timid, angry, challenged, lonely, fearful, hopeful, animated, goofy, etc. We were all over the place! And boy did we get yelled at! And we loved it. Every minute of it. Rose was a single mother of two very active daughters. The oldest, Kim, was my counterpart for many years. The youngest, Amy was at every scout event we ever had and was all about being front and center. Looking back now I realize that Rose had such deep love for us, she had to because that was A LOT of devotion and persuasion, a lot of late nights and cold nights, a lot of laughing and yellin'! What I know from my own adult scout experience is that you do it for your daughter first..and I have no doubt that everything she did was for her precious daughters.
I will tell you she was a force not to be reckoned with. When she was on, you better step aside. She was God fearing and full of grace. Her fallibility made her more endearing and raised the standard for success in my book. She was the first to bring God to my life. No doubt about it. We prayed at each meeting and used His name each time. I bet a meeting didn't pass without her praising, speaking, teaching, or asking for His help. ( the latter I'm sure she did many times each meeting...we were wild!) She loved God and her girls. It was at the McNish house I found a love for Elvis and Rocky Balboa... Rose put up with our crazy antics and even let us kick her out of her own bed. I'm telling you, she was beautiful. She held her head high and had the confidence of a lady who has seen hard times and knows that Glory is awaiting her arrival. She had suffered the worse loss of all and in that time I'm confident she sought her Father's hand and He led her through the darkness and found the direction she needed to move forward again. She loved her daughters, she was a warrior for them. Mind you, I see her in my child's eye and I always will.
I have not seen her in a while. The last time I do believe was at a grocery store, where she got to meet my husband and my daughter. She was thrilled to see me and meet my family. She hugged me with both arms, held close to her. She was weary, she had just left work and was on her way to assist her grandchildren. She loved them dearly too, in her very Rose way..fiercely.
Today is Mother's Day. Is it more painful to lose a parent on a special holiday? I don't know, but I'm guessing Kim will take some of that Rose instinct and wrap it with grace, she'll comfort others and seek her Father's hand. And He will be there for her. And Rose will be too. On this day one beautiful, fierce, loving and all inspiring woman got to be with both daughters once again and meet the Glory that has awaited her arrival. She has left a smile on my face, a warmth in my heart and yes, of course, a tear in my eye. We love her for her honesty, we love her for her leadership, we love her for her loyalty, we love her for her dedication...we love her. Thank God for her.
