CATHEDRAL OF OUR LADY OF THE GOLDEN FUR
Nashville, Tennessee
John Burkitt, Pastor

It is my sad duty to report the death of one of our long time members.  Today
during the usual Sunday Morning service, I announced that there would be a time
of responsive prayer.  I asked if anyone wanted to begin.

Ugas jumped from his pew, his hand over his heart and shouted, "Oh Lord!"

"Yes Lord, we seek your wisdom!" I replied.

Ugas said, "I'm not long for this world!"

"We are all frail and dust!" I replied, thinking this was an act of devotion.

He fell face down, I thought at the time from an unusual show of piety and said,
"Aiheu is coming to take me home!"

"Hallalujah!" I shouted, swept up by what I thought was the most beautiful
spontaneous prayer I'd heard in my years of preaching.

Unfortunately, he remained face down.  I ran to grab his paw and ask if he was
all right.  He murmured, "I'm pulling out now."  And then he breathed his last.

There are those among us that look on Ugas as simply a very yiffy lion.  And it
is true that he tended to celebrate the miracle of life more than most of us do,
even counting Fellowship Time on Sunday.  However looking back on the years that
I have known him, there were few creatures more gentle and caring.  If he had
frailties, it is only because what makes us people is our unique combinations of
strengths and weaknesses.  Ugas and I shared many a good laugh, especially after
the sacramental wine, but we have also shared many a tear.  Ugas came to my
office last November with a dying puppy that had been struck by a car.  He
begged me for some miracle to restore it to the playful innocent creature it
once was.  I explained to him that the civilization that could send a man to the
moon was powerless to repair the damage caused by a moment of thoughtlessness. 
We called the vet to put the puppy down and he held it, crying like a baby, as
the warmth slowly ebbed from the small body.  "One day I will be like that," he
said.  "None of us are getting younger."  Those thoughts went through my mind as
his powerful but fragile body was borne to the Ishine Chapel where it will
remain till Tuesday.  Visitation is from 12:00 to 7:00 Monday.  Graveside
service is for 10:00 am Tuesday.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
I  John H. Burkitt:  (john.burkitt@nashville.com)  (ICQ 1309477)  I
I FCoS,  Elsa's Pride,  Born Free Foundation (We Love You, Elsa!) I
I     http://localsonly.wilmington.net/~damorris/Tgkhome.htm      I
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+