By Lynna Clark

Funny story. When we were making arrangements at the funeral home after David’s passing, the person helping us, who is also our nephew went over each cost. When it came to the obituary, he paused a bit. “You did a great job writing it Mrs. Lynna. I wouldn’t change anything. Typically the cost to run it in the local paper is $175. But this one is going to be a little more since… it’s a bit longer.” I laughed as I asked, ” So you’re saying I got a little wordy.” Kyler smiled. “But it’s very good,” he said. “This one will run $325.” I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing. “Sounds about right. David always called me a ‘wordsmith.’ What he actually meant was VERBOSE!” It helped to laugh and remember his teasing.

Today is his birthday. He would have turned 70 today. Together we had a running joke that in February, when I had my birthday five months before him, we BOTH turned a year older. That started way back in the eighties when we visited a church with some friends down in South Carolina. They handed out visitor cards with a place to mark age categories. Since I had already had my birthday, I landed in a higher age bracket than my beloved. He elbowed me just to point out that he was indeed in the category with college and career people while I might as well have been listed with the cougars. He and his buddy Barry laughed so hard the pew was shaking. We had a little Come to Jesus meeting when we got home and you know… that situation never repeated itself. Until now.

My sweet David had been saying, “We’re seventy,” since February… just because he knew it made me happy. Then the Salisbury Post had to go and tell the truth. He was only 69. But as I said in the obituary. Praise God our prayers were answered and he did not suffer another 12 days so he could turn an earthly 70 today. Thankfully, he was too busy catching up with his mom, and mine as he made his way to Jesus. I picture a little jog as he hurried to meet the Lord he loves. And yes, I got a bit wordy with his obit. But oh the things I could still tell. It reminds me of the last verse in the book of John where he says the whole world couldn’t contain the books if he were to write down all his stories of Jesus.

That’s how I feel. David was a funny, gentle, hard-headed man who took sweet care of me for fifty one years. All the words in the world cannot describe how much I miss him.

Happy Birthday my love.