It was my son Benjamin’s first day of school at Boston Latin.  I had just begun a new position and was newly married. Driving near Boylston Street, I came to an intersection where there was a four-way flashing yellow light.  Overgrown tree branches hid the light. In the middle of the intersection another car careened into the passenger side of my car causing major damage to the car, my pride, and my son’s sense of well-being.  The car was not drivable.  We were not injured.

I was shaken and upset, and worried that Benjamin would be traumatized forever, the cost of repairs would sink our budget into oblivion, and my husband, Ray, would be angry with me.  With all this on my mind, I called Ray from a nearby public telephone booth.  Sheepishly I reported my predicament.  I still needed to get Ben to school.  Feeling like a fool and that I had ruined Ben’s first day of school, my car, and caused all sorts of problems, I told Ray what had happened and braced for harsh words. I heard the sweetest response.  “Are you okay?”  It still brings tears to my eyes as I write this.  What I was expecting was recrimination, chastisement, and anger.  What I got was love, concern, compassion, and empathy.

We learn about ourselves, our relationships and about love in these little events.  Ray showed me more love in that moment than I thought I deserved.  It was one of the many ways that I understood his love for me.  It is also one of the ways that I experienced a sliver of the love that God has for me.

God’s love is like that.  It is found in the space between relationships and is the tangible sense of well-being that comes in unexpected ways.  It is there in the breath of soft words in times of need, empathy, compassion and understanding between one another.

We lost a member of our congregation, Virginia Lamb, this week.  I have witnessed the ways in which the Emmanuel community has ministered to her over the years.  After she went to live at Sherrill House some of you called and reached out to her to keep her connected.  She was welcomed and nurtured in the life of the parish.  I also know that Virginia was a complicated and sometimes difficult person.  Even so, we held her in our midst, offered her the unexpected love that we know is there for her – for us, too, from God.

Now, Virginia is with Our Lord.  God will hold her to his bosom, and she will be safe and loved and happy.  We at Emmanuel helped to bring her to that place by loving her in God’s house, our house of prayer.

So be at peace, knowing that all things are made well through God and that our rewards will be unexpected and undeserved.

Virginia will be buried at Mount Hope Cemetery on Monday, May 11 in a graveside service.  May she rest in peace in the eternal arms of our loving creator.

The Rev. Joyce Caggiano