Leor Wellington
In honor of my lovely and dear friend, I'll share the words that I spoke this past Sunday as I would like everyone to know her in the way I knew her and understand that a truly unique soul has departed from us -
Matthew 5:13-16
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Sometimes, I think - why did God give me a friend like Traci? The thought places me in awe, it humbles me to think that I could have been blessed like this. She was a dear friend, a person who gave me the type of a friendship people search for and never find in a lifetime. She was a dear friend, only for a short time.
I met Traci a little over 15 years ago. We spotted each other across a room, didn’t speak at first, but later introduced ourselves and from there, a few meet-ups turned into long conversations about how we were going to change our lives, and the fun we were both looking forward to with the prospect of business school ahead of us.
We were dreamers. Me, the tentative dreamer; Traci was more certain and with no bounds, and convinced, thoroughly convinced, that she would achieve everything she set out to do. She had this self belief that defied understanding, actually. She was unique - she didn’t stop at thinking wonderful things for herself; she genuinely believed it for other people.
I later came to realize that it wasn’t so much a belief in self. It was deep faith in God and his miraculous power. Traci was THAT person - never bogged down in what couldn’t be done because she knew God would do it. Her entire being was an expression of that.
On the surface, Traci came across as optimistic, good-natured, full of uproarious laughter. She was ‘counter-culture’ if you want to apply a trendy term. She was also funny, but not in a comedic sense; she was simply tickled by all the good things that would come her way. If I met Traci after a long break, I would be greeted with peals of laughter, some kind of excited antics, and we would immediately launch into crazy schemes and shenanigans. But, underlying all this was a depth - it was an exuberance. If I were to sum it up, Traci was filled with the joy of God’s light.
Going back to the verse I read earlier - she was salt that never lost its flavor. She was that light you placed on the stand. God’s glory was expressed through her and she was magnificent. Now, who can say that they knew a magnificent person? I’m afraid, what I heard a preacher once say is true - the will of God is seldom done on earth. Perhaps that is the case, but I can say the will of God was certainly done through Traci. We all benefited from knowing her, and I don’t mean that in a material sense - I mean deep in the soul.
Of all the brilliant things she did while here on this earth, Traci’s legacy to me will be that she brought me closer to God; she helped me to understand that God is not small, his grace and mercy knows no bounds and it is fresh every morning. What a friend! What a soulmate! I thank God for the 15 years of His grace and love that I met through Traci.
I now realize that the fun and beauty Traci experienced here on this earth, the special life she led, was a glimmer of what she would see with her Maker. I think she must be delighted right now, in Heaven, and with our father seeing the full extent of what he hinted to her through her dreams. We must honor her memory and remember what she taught us while she was here - Believe. Have faith. Take the best of life because it is here, for all of us to have.
