Charlie Hudson,Catholic priest, created the Center for Hope Hospice with a nurse and friend of his named Peggy Coloney. He was a man of large soul. We became friends about 25 years ago and he would preach in our Presbyterian church and led retreats for us and counsel grieving individuals.
His friendship changed my life. In times of difficulty,I would remember that he was there, cheering for me. When life was abundant, his eyes rejoiced so deeply for me. His presence throbbed with the mysterious and generous love of God.
Charlie had had a heart attack and was a little overweight. He had excellent doctors who designed a cardiac rehab program. As instructed, he was exercising on a treadmill, when another heart attack came. He did not survive. Since he had served God and the people so long and energetically and joyfully, thousands and thousands came to his funeral. Those thousands offered prayers and remembrances and donations of money and time to further memorialze him.
Like Sean Taylor, Charlie believed that when your time comes, it comes.
Since I was jogging on a treadmill when I first read Sean Taylor's comments and since I have survived cardiac arrest, I thought of Charlie. Two of his brothers and his father died when he was in his early twenties. That pain was part of what led into such deep compassion. He certainly had wrestled with all these issues of God's will and death's timing and life's meaning for many years. Yet,we saw God and death and destiny differently. We loved each other none the less. The differences in our perspectives enriched our lunchtime conversation.
Somewhere, the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote: "But how can we find ourselves again? How can man know himself?... the youthful soul should look back on life with the question:what have you truly loved up to now, what has drawn your soul aloft, what has mastered and at the same time blessed it? Set up these things...before you and perhaps they will give you... the fundamental law of your own true self...for your real nature lies not buried deep within you but immeasurably high above you... There are other means of finding oneself...but I know of none better than to think of one's educators."
I rejoice in the Spirit's giving me Charlie Hudson as teacher of my soul, as friend of my journey.
Does the Spirit not give teachers of power and praise to all of us?
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