Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord

I learned this afternoon that the director of Fidesco USA, Denis Leblond, died in his sleep on Monday morning.  He wasn't sick so his passing from this life to the next is shocking.  I can only imagine the sorrow his wife, six children, four children-in-law, and five grandchildren feel with him being taken from them without warning. 

Even I, who knew of Denis as an Emmanuel Community brother for years but only got to know him during my Fidesco journey, am so saddened by his death.  I can hear his words of encouragement during my decision-making process and his continued encouragement once I was in the mission field.  I heard from him only three days ago when he said he would look over the draft of my second mission report and get back to me after the weekend, but that email will never arrive.

Once again, I am reminded that we do not know how much time we have in this life so we need to make the most of each day: tell our family members and friends that we love them; give ourselves in the service of others; dare to radically live for Jesus; live in such a way that in our last minutes we are satisfied with the life we lived. 

Please pray for the eternal rest of Denis' soul and for the consolation of his family.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for this somber reminder Heather to make the most of each day. I will pray for Denis and his family - my heart aches for all of them.

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