I am here to say to goodbye to
Waldron Scott.
Waldron was a husband, father,
teacher, leader, an inspiration to many, and someone that I called my friend.
I met Waldron & Georgia 30
years ago at Wilma Knoll’s house at one of the lunches that Wilma used to
organize to bring people together.
They had recently married and were
living in Paterson just a few blocks away from where my wife Emma and I used to
live.
Waldron & I served at the
same time in the council of Madison Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Waldron was an elder, and I was a deacon.
Coming from another country, and
of Scottish descent, this latter like him, and also being a travel enthusiast;
and Waldron having lived in many places around the world, and been to almost
every country on the face of the planet, this gave us the opportunity of talking about different countries,
ethnicities, religions, and poverty around the world.
Waldron was a feverous book
reader, and he enjoyed his New York Times newspaper. This was one of the major
sources of his world news.
I had the luxury of being a
regular in his bible studies. He would challenge us, by analyzing the books of
the bible, and then trying to find how those verses of the bible had meaning
and purpose in today’s busy life.
When my son Ian was diagnosed
with Autism my world collapsed, and with it my faith.
I would often stop by the
Scott’s house and I remember telling him that I had put my faith and God in a
drawer, and that sometime in the future I would go back to that drawer.
My struggles continued , until
one day Waldron told me that I could no longer go on like that, that the weight
of the burden that I was trying to carry on my shoulders was too much for me,
and that I needed to share that burden with the only one who could help, Jesus.
I said him that I would think about it.
I then rejoined a bible study
that he was leading, came back to church, and although the weight is not ever
completely gone, it makes it easier to live with it, knowing that you are not
alone.
I would often remind Waldron
that due to having my parents 5,000 miles away he had become my adoptive father,
and when in 2009 Georgia and Waldron decided that it was time to retire, and
that meant moving to Lynchburg, where Georgia had grown up I was pretty
miserable.
Being their realtor I had
mixed feelings, I wanted to help them sell their house, but I didn’t want to
see them moving away. When the time of moving came I felt like a piece of me
went with them.
We kept in contact through
facebook and phone calls, although Waldron didn’t like talking much on the
phone, so when I got news that he had suffered a stroke, the first of two, I
decided to make the journey and come and stay with them over a weekend.
Lynchburg is an 8 hour ride
for me, but I felt it was worth it. Seeing them, where they lived, and being in
their presence again, something I value tremendously, was worth every minute of
my stay and trip.
I made several of those 3 day
trips, sometimes every three months, sometimes every six.
One day Georgia told me that
he had fallen, broken his elbow, and suffered a second, and severe stroke. Now
his left side, and his speech were limited.
After the therapy and the
nurses help was over I came back for another of my short stays, and also see if
they needed any help.
I never met Waldron’s first wife,
and mother of his kids, but when I came then, I witnessed a devoted wife.
Georgia by now was not able to drive, because her license had been revoked, and
was not in the greatest health either, but she did everything for Waldron, from
bathe him, help him get on and off of his wheelchair, even carry him in her
arms. Waldron was very limited as he could only move his right arm and right
leg, he could not lie down, or sit up on the sofa. He needed constant help.
She was fulfilling her vow
that said “In sickness and in health”.
Waldron was a fortunate man,
and had chosen well his wife in Georgia.
I am a person who is all in
favor in paying respects to somebody who has parted from this world, but I
cherish friendships and relationships, and I believe that we get much more out
of visiting loved ones where they are alive, we can talk to them, make eye
contact, feel their warmth. And, even though, in many of my visits Waldron was
tired, he would show his appreciation by trying to put all the energy he could
muster, as he knew that those visits were far in between.
When I called Georgia Thursday
afternoon to see how Waldron was doing and I got the news of his passing I felt
sadness, and comfort. Sadness because I will miss him, but comfort because I
know that he is no longer suffering, and is finally in peace.
I am very thankful to God that
I had the chance of knowing him, that our paths crossed, and primarily because
I believe I got more out of our relationship than what I gave.
Where I come from we have a
song that says “That when a friend departs there is an empty space, that cannot
be filled with the arrival of a new friend”.
Waldron, you will be greatly
missed.
Waldron, The Lord bless you
and keep you; The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
Until we meet again, my friend.
