Joey Feek passed away yesterday at the young age of 40, from cervical cancer. If you haven’t seen her name in the news lately, she was a country music singer, a devout Christian, and the lead singer of the duo Joey + Rory. Together, they had a 2-year-old daughter, named Indiana. Indiana was born with Downs Syndrome, but the family never made a big deal of it. She was just their child. Period.
Joey fought her cancer for almost two years. In October, she learned that it was too aggressive and decided to stop treatments. It was at that time that her story started being known outside the country music genre.
Rory Feek, her husband, writes a blog titled, “This Life I Live.” In it, he has chronicled their journey through Joey’s illness, and now her passing. It is his writing that has made me, and many others, feel that I was a part of their family. That I was traveling down that sorrowful road with them. His words made me smile and cry, feel joy and sorrow, ask “Why?” and say “I understand.” He is a masterful writer, but the reason his words are so beautiful is simple – he loved her.
Joey and Rory were unique. They lived in a manner that evoked the feeling of the 1940s. A simple life with home-grown vegetables; a farmhouse full of comfortable chairs and fresh flowers; hand made quilts and fresh baked pies. It seemed an idyllic life, interrupted by sadness and pain.
You could see the love between Joey and Rory. The way she smiled at him, and the way his eyes lit up looking at her. Perhaps the most telling photo I saw of their love was the last one – Rory sitting by Joey’s bed during her last days. Just sitting. She was in her final sleep and would never know he was there, but he was. Watching his beautiful bride slip away from him.
Their story is indeed heartbreaking, but do you know what he wrote upon her passing? “My wife’s greatest dream came true today.” Through all his unquestionable sadness and grief, he knew that her passing was actually a great joy! She is in Heaven! She is with Jesus! He was so happy that she was where she belonged, that he could rejoice for her in the midst of his own pain.
That, my friends, is love.
These are the things that I learned from Joey and Rory:
• Never take life for granted. Every day, every hour, every second is precious and should be cherished.
• Every person deserves to be loved deeply and completely.
• Faith can carry you through anything. ANYTHING.
• Death is not final. It is not the end, only the beginning. Our lives on Earth are just a warm-up for the real thing.
• A walk outside, a kiss from a child, holding hands with a loved one, the sun on your face – all of these things are infinitely better than time watching TV or being on-line.
• I am blessed beyond measure.
So here I sit, thinking of people I don’t know; praying for a family I’ll never meet; rejoicing in the fact that this “stranger” is in Heaven. I think Joey would approve.
No comments:
Post a Comment