All Saints' Day

This morning, I woke up thinking, "Today is All Saints' Day." It's a thought deeply ingrained in me from when I was Catholic. And, it is a good thought, because it causes me to ponder the question, "Who is a saint?" I have answered myself with, "A saint is a sinner saved by grace. So, if a person has been saved by the blood of Christ, he/she fits into that category." I continued the conversation with myself, "Who are the saints that have been or still a part of my life, that have impacted my life?" 

The first person who comes to mind is my mom, Dorothy Rogowski. She died too young. But, she taught me a lot, especially in the last few years of her life. She taught me to look past circumstances and failures of others and to live, laugh and love anyway. I think of Dee Armour, who took me under her wing when I was far from home. Dee loved me through good times and bad. She spoke the truth in love, and when she knew it would hurt, told me that "You;ll get over it." She was right, I did. There were Ava and Albert Steiner, true pillars of the faith. The things I learned from both of them...about faith, forgiveness, love, trust...the list goes on. Even my neighbor, Nancy, a sweet, caring woman, known as "The Church Mouse" who sent encouraging notes to others. So many of the saints in my life have passed on to glory. But, there are others...

My sister, Debbie, who challenges me to pray about everything, to look at situations from a different perspective, to hold on to my Lord, even in the midst of post surgery pain! Pastors that have encouraged me to follow the vision that I believed the Lord had given me. There were times they gave up their time to help me with the hurdles of preparing for a life of overseas ministry. Oh, there are so many more...family, friends and colleagues who have shown me what it is to follow Christ. So many times I have fallen short, but, these modern day saints show me the way. I am very blessed to have these people in my life. And, some day, we will be kneeling at the throne of Christ, singing together, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lamb."