Eddie was afflicted with Cancer but was doing pretty good until he was convinced to "go get your treatments". Then, there was suffering. Either way, he was ready because he KNEW his place in The Lord.
His battle coincided with my battle fighting for my mother and I lost touch. When she transitioned, I caught a bad cold and went through all kinds of things around HER passing, so when I finally started to emerge, last week, it started pressing on me to "call Eddie". But it was always late at night, when my mind starts retreating from the events of the day.
It was always too late at night, and the next day, I'd be off to the races again with the events of the NEXT day! "Oh Martha, you are busy with too many things!" Jesus warned.
Then, yesterday, I got a text from a mutual friend that he passed.
I stopped my car in the middle of the street and had to pull over. I sobbed, which came in racks.
Eddie's Spirit was SO PURE! He memorized Scripture to recite to you, and you were always elevated and reminded of the POWER of the simple WORD OF GOD. Straight! No chaser.
Eddie adapted songs and inserted MORE Scripture In the breaks. He couldn't sing a lick, but his LOVE for The Lord, was so infectious that I would have him sing, especially his favorite song, "DO Lord, Remember Me", over and over.
Eddie told people about Jesus literally EVERYWHERE he went. The gas station, the grocery store, the bank... Even when developers put us out after buying our buildings and Eddie had to live in his truck for TWO YEARS, He STILL witnessed to people about Jesus EACH AND EVERY DAY! Once he got a nice little apartment just a block away from our old one, he STILL witnessed! Like Paul said in Philippians 4:12-13, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of BEING CONTENT IN ANY AND EVERY SITUATION, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
That literally was Eddie.
He was the most guileless, faithful servant I knew.
In fact, I first met Eddie DURING that whole Developer debacle. I was standing on the sidewalk outside of my building in California, talking to a neighbor-- an older white woman named, Sue, about what was going on.
Developers had come and purchased almost our whole side of the street, including my building and hers next door, and had given us all notice to move.
One of our neighbors, a Senior Citizen, and long term resident, had a heart attack and died from the shock and stress. Other neighbors, with children, were trying to figure out how to afford someplace else. MY rent was about to triple to L.A. "market rate"! We were all contemplating our next move.
Eddie came walking down the street toward us. Honestly, we thought he might be homeless, because he wasn't "fancy" and frankly, except for the African lawyers across the street, I was one of only a few Black people I'd seen on that block in nine years!
But it turned out Eddie lived in Sue's building! When he approached us though, he didn't join us in talking about these evil developers. Eddie started asking us if we knew JESUS. I was immediately convicted that I wasn't on top of MY game like this. The Holy Spirit was IN him so fully, that witnessing about Jesus Christ was as natural to him as breathing!
He invited us to his church, and Sue and I decided to go. I picked her up that Sunday... way back in something like 2007... and to this day, Sue is a member. What's more... over the years, Sue became ill and debilitated, and Eddie would go to her house regularly and help take care of her! Even after he took ill with Cancer! He'd go take her garbage out for her, bring her food, and just HELP her because that was his HEART! He had a servant's HEART.
He was helping ME move the day we all heard the news that Michael Jackson died. Eddie was helping another friend carry my sofa up a difficult, twisty staircase, when the newsflash came on. I immediately started crying. Everyone had to stop what we were doing. We were all so distraught that we couldn't finish the move. I kept the UHaul for another day, and when I explained to them, what had happened, the clerk COMPLETELY understood. He too, had yet to get over the shock. He didn't even charge me.
This picture of me and Eddie was at a pancake house on our way to Disneyland. Eddie was taking me there for my birthday. 😥 A birthday he NEVER forgot. I could count on him to call me each and every September 7th, no matter how far away I moved, no matter how long I'd been gone.
I. Loved. Eddie!
And, I don't cry now because I don't know he truly IS in a better place, WITHOUT A DOUBT, but I cry because "that still small voice" kept telling me to call him and I allowed "life" to keep distracting me to forget!
And, now he's gone. And, I won't hear him recite me Scripture anymore. I won't hear him sing anymore. I wasn't able to pray with him and tell him again how much I loved him. I wasn't there to recite HIM Scripture and sing for HIM to try to ease his pain as he slipped out of his body. What if that "still small voice" was him calling me from across the miles?!
My Eddie. My dear friend and brother, Eddie. You Blessed so many with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And you Blessed ME with a real and enduring friendship and genuine love.
You were the REAL DEAL and while I do cry for MY loss, and I am sobered by the FACT that I've got a lot of catching up to do in MY witnessing, I am SO happy that God, in His infinite Grace, decided it was time to pull you into His REST.
I love you and you helped craft the BEST parts of me and my walk with our Saviour.
It is time for me to step up.
God, thank You for the gift of Salvation. Thank You for the gift of your faithful servant. To say, "Please take care of him," would be ridiculous. I know that, but that is my prayer. Please take good care of my friend.
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