Silence - Micah died

Micah Bezy died two weeks ago. The world feels empty, somehow, without him. His mother, Margaret, is a close friend of mine. We see each other only in spurts, but when we do, we immediately recognize that there's something special between us.

Margaret and I used to sit in our cars and talk while our boys were in confirmation class together. I don't remember exactly if that's how we became friends, because at the same time this was going on, I took Margaret and Pierre on as tax clients and I did their returns for a number of years. Maybe that's how we became closer friends. MA and PA was the label on my tax files. Pierre is gone, too. He died a few years before Den did, if I remember correctly. Den died 11 years ago this year.

Micah was or would have been 40 this year. After high school, he went on to a technical college and then went on to work. He was a good worker and respected by his employer. Micah's last day at work was Tuesday, June 24, I believe. He apparently went home that evening, perhaps had his supper, sat down in his easy chair, and died. His heart probably failed him. A couple of years ago, he had some work done on one of his heart valves, totally unexpectedly. The valve must have failed him. When he didn't show up for work over the next few days and he didn't answer his phone, his employer called law enforcement to check on him, and they found him dead. His employer called Margaret and told her.

Micah was an honorable man, full of integrity. He was a practicing Lutheran all his life. He was thoughtful and serious about his faith, enjoyed good music, and pondered the things of the world. I remember when I was an organist at church, he always recognized the music when I played some of the old classics which weren't part of the mainstream of Lutheran church music. Micah was quiet, seemingly shy, but never unaware of things around him.

His mother hears the silence now. The silence is so deep that even the movement of air seems to be noisy. God is close to her now, providing a glorious euphoria even in her deep grief. Micah will be part of her in a new way now, for the rest of her life. She will carry him with her, now, forever.

In the meantime, life is for the living, and life is to be lived. That's our faith. Margaret is walking on, a step at a time, sharing the goodness that is hers to share with those around her. Those who are in her presence will learn much, if they listen, because she hears God in a new way. In the depths of her pain, there is a strange, unexplainable peace. God has her attention.