Yesterday I was cleaning up some papers in Anita’s office and on the floor (almost looking discarded) was a handwritten sheet on white copy paper. I’m guessing that she had written this in 2009 which is why it was right on top of her stacks of papers and books on the floor.
It instantly reminded me of a Post-It note that Anita had on the side of her laptop that just read “Boldly”. It was one of those notes that I saw all the time but never really understood why or where it came from. Obviously at some point recently she was thinking about boldness.
Boldness is not reckless impulsiveness. Boldness requires courage to press on through our fears and do what we know is right. How can we be more bold? Like the disciples, we need to pray with others for that courage to give boldness. You can (i) pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to give me courage; (ii) look for opportunities in my family and neighborhood to talk about Christ; (iii) realize that rejection, social discomfort and embarassment are not necessarily persecution; and (iv) start where you are by being bolder in small ways.
Acts 4:31 “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”
Greg: As is the case in many people, Anita touched my life in such a special way. She was only with our firm for a year, but it was a year I will never forget. I was so happy when you and the kids came to our house to visit – even if it was for a few minutes. It reaffirmed that we really did have a connection beyond the workplace. Our emails between each other were few and sometimes short, but meaningful to me.
I will enjoy reading all you have posted and I thank you for doing this.
She will be missed always.
Greg: Thanks so much for starting this blog about Anita. Even though I’ve only known Anita through work at Kirkland, our relationship was beyond that of just work. She was such a good friend to me, and I miss her. I remember her office at K&E — her walls and the top of her desk were filled with post-it notes that had words, Bible verses and other phrases written on them. I would just stand there and read them, sometimes wondering what they meant. It’s sad to think that she’s no longer on this earth, but I definately know that she’s with God. Take care. – Rose