In Memoriam: L.E. Craig

A dear family friend and father figure had a beautiful home-going this week. Mr. Craig had been a grand patriarch not only to his children but for our community. A part of the pastor's eulogy touched on Mr. Craig's deep faith and work ethic. He had been a part of the church's leadership and congregation for over five decades. His marriage lasted for sixty years and he had been employed with the same company for forty years without missing a single day of work until his retirement.  The pastor quoted a Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem "Lyrics of A Lowly Life" (1913):

A crust of bread and a corner to sleep in, A minute to smile and an hour to weep in, A pint of joy to a peck of trouble, And never a laugh but the moans come double; And that is life! A crust and a corner that love makes precious, With a smile to warm and the tears to refresh us; And joy seems sweeter when cares come after, And a moan is the finest of foils for laughter; And that is life!

                                                        

The pastor recited this poem not to reference any reduced circumstances, sadness or poverty, but to spotlight a humbleness of character that combined a graceful generosity of spirit which touched everyone who knew and loved Mr. Craig. He was able to live through the good and bad of life. In fact, it was repeated often that the life he lived was a wonderful testimony all its own of unwavering faith.

Mr. Craig lived 95 full years on this earth and he will be missed. He was born (1919)in America's segregated South when Woodrow Wilson was president and lived to see Barack Obama become president for two terms. May God Bless and Keep His Eternal Soul.

Shedding Light: To new and veteran teachers:  Sometimes it seems impossible, but don't give up. Keep your spirits high and hang in there with me.