Remembering Roger Keyser

Some people never question God; that's not me.  Some people think you can get struck by lightning if you even hint at not agreeing with the way God moves in the world sometime; that would not be me.  Some people would like to serve God in an advisory capacity; that would be me. 

I"m  the kind of person that asks "Why?" a lot.  My parents got sick of it; my teachers didn't like it after the first few months; and my friends just stared blankly at me.  I saw Roger for the last time on a day when he came to take mail to the post office for me.  He talked of being honored for his retirement the next day or so.  And then, the next news I heard was that he had died. 

My string of "Whys?" instantly rose up.  Why did Roger die so soon after his retirement?  Why did it have to be so near Christmas, a rough time for a family to grieve?  Why was he ever born mentally challenged? What was his purpose on earth?

As I sat in his funeral, Dan asked folks to tell stories of Roger;  I laughed and cried at accounts of his teasing, regular attendance at church, his loving ways, his desire to be helpful...and it occured to me that the reason Roger ever existed is the same reason we are here:  we exist to glorify God.

Roger did that in simplicity and earnestness.  The family that hosted him in the summers to help run Funland at Rehoboth Beach spoke of the wonderful times they had together; Barbara, his sister-inlaw- spoke of the times they had experienced; Dale Seward told of receiving phone calls almost daily from Roger; he had spread joy to so many...he had glorified God in his way.  And then we sang "Jesus Loves Me" and I let go of the "Whys".  Thank you God for the gift of Roger; thank you Roger for the gift of showing how to love simply and purely in a complex world.