I’ve had the privilege of developing relationships with some amazing people throughout my 25 years in ministry. For most of that time, my family and I have lived far from home. In each of the churches we have served, God has graciously provided us with people who have welcomed us into their homes and adopted us into their families. These saints lived out the words of Hebrews 13:1-2, which reads, “Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” While we were the strangers who were loved as brothers and sisters (or daughters, sons, and grandchildren, as the case may be), it is they who were the heaven sent angels. I assure you, however, we weren’t unaware. We knew then and know now how incredibly blessed we’ve been.
While we were the strangers who were loved as brothers and sisters (or daughters, sons, and grandchildren, as the case may be), it is they who were the heaven sent angels.
Sitting on the desk in my office is a picture of one of those angels. Her name is Polly Downey, or Miss Polly as we liked to call her. The picture features much younger versions of myself, Robyn, and JJ sitting with Miss Polly on a couch. It was Grandparent’s Day at JJ’s preschool and he was super disappointed that he would be without a grandparent. I don’t remember how Miss Polly learned of JJ’s disappointment, but that picture is a constant reminder that she stepped in and saved the day. It was one of many such instances.
Miss Polly, and her husband Mr. Dave, didn’t just step in when we needed family at events, they regularly invited us to their family gatherings. For just under a decade, we spent every Mother’s Day afternoon eating lunch and playing lawn games at her brother and sister-in-law’s home (much love to David and Robin Young for welcoming us as well). On Christmas Eve, we would head over to the Downey’s. Miss Polly would have Mikayla and JJ try out the games she had planned for her own grand kids for Christmas Day before she and Mr. Dave let them open Christmas gifts they had purchased for them.
Miss Polly’s grace extended beyond major holidays, though. Almost every Saturday from Labor Day weekend through New Year’s Day, I could be found sitting on the left side of the Downey’s loveseat cheering on the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and the Thundering Herd of Marshall. Miss Polly would prepare tailgate foods and the family would come and eat and then I would sit with Miss Polly, Mr. Dave, and my good friend Leah yelling at the TV until late in the evening. It was a safe place for me to just be Jeremy for a while. My last communication with Miss Polly actually took place during the National Championship game in January. She liked to make sure I was doing OK when a team she knew I liked (or disliked) was playing.
She demonstrated the compassionate grace of Jesus to us over and over again. She set a godly and worthy example for us to emulate.
I could go on and on. Miss Polly was on the committee that interviewed me at FBC St Albans. She was one of my most enthusiastic and adventurous youth leaders. Just one year after hip replacement she joined our youth on a mission trip to Cherokee, NC where she slept on a cot for a week. It was Miss Polly who came up with the idea for the first intergenerational event with the senior adults and youth that ultimately laid the foundation for my doctoral research. It is impossible to overstate the importance of Miss Polly’s influence in my life.
Miss Polly passed away last week. I am unspeakably sad. I love Miss Polly and I am eternally grateful for the ways she loved me and my family. She welcomed us into her home, along with Mr. Dave. But, she never treated us like strangers; she loved us like family. She demonstrated the compassionate grace of Jesus to us over and over again. She set a godly and worthy example for us to emulate. In John 13:35, Jesus says, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Miss Polly was absolutely a disciple of Jesus and I have every confidence she was welcomed into His heaven with the same grace she displayed when she welcomed us into her home. And so, I offer these words as a fond farewell to my Saint Albans mother: Well done, Miss Polly. You served Jesus well and the world is a little brighter because of it. I will see you again, dear friend.
