Sherill’s service was this afternoon and there were so many people there we had to add chairs.  She had many, many friends!

My nephew, Nate, played several pieces on the marimba.  My son, Jamey, came up to me before the service and said he had written a letter to his auntie that he wanted to read.  Dad told about Sherill going around the chemo room while she was hooked up to her chemo and visiting with people and often praying with them.  The nurses said she was the best patient they’d ever had.  My younger sister, Lauryn, read a piece she’d written about the huge gaping hole Sherill’s passing has left in our family.  Several friends also talked about their relationship with her, and her pastor gave a message about her faith.  He said she is now with the great people of faith in Hebrews 11 who died believing in God’s promises even though they never saw the promises fulfilled in their lifetime.  That was a good answer to the question the family has been asking:  Sherill firmly believed she was going to be healed and wouldn’t die of cancer.  What happened?

I showed a video of Sherill’s life in photos.  I have spoken about her so often in this blog that I thought some of you might be interested in seeing her.  If you are connected with me on Facebook, I posted a copy of the video that was a bit scratchy but it was the only thing I could connect there.  At least you can get a glimpse of her life.  For those of you who aren’t yet connected with me on Facebook, you can find me under Denise Hardy Fuller.

Sherill was a truly remarkable woman who always wanted to learn about others more than she wanted to talk about herself.  She was hospitable, generous, optimistic, and loving.  In spite of her shortcomings, I looked up to her.  She was inspirational.  There has never been anyone like her before, and I doubt there will be anyone like her again.

Mark and I will be leaving tomorrow to drive back to Wisconsin.  I will finally have time to process what has happened in the last week.