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Little Things Make Big Memories


My friend Amy Mears and her husband, David Webb, lost their eight-year-old daughter Emmie in a traffic accident last Wednesday evening. A beautiful memorial service was held Saturday at Glendale Baptist Church in Nashville where Amy is co-pastor.

I did not know Emmie. I believe that she accompanied her Mom to a TCBF planning meeting several years ago because she was too sick to go to school. I do know something about Amy and her ministry. Handling private grief in a very public setting will be a challenge for Amy and David, but an incident that I observed early in Amy’s ministry at Glendale causes me to think that they will find a way to do it with grace and authenticity.

The day that Amy Mears and April Baker were installed as co-pastors at Glendale, I arrived at the church at the same time that Amy, David, and their family arrived in their van. Out of the van stepped four children who were ready for the big day. Danny was dapper in white shirt and tie. The three little girls—Emmie, Lara, and Mia—were decked out in beautiful, frilly dresses with their hair in festive bows. I thought then and remember now that although this was Amy’s big day as a minister, she and David had gotten up early to make sure that their children were ready for the day. Such care speaks to me of a family that has its priorities right. Family was not a second thought but at the center of their lives.

Little things make big memories. Emmie was fortunate to be part of such a family, and I am sure that they were blessed by her time with them. As pastor April Baker noted in her homily at the memorial service, we don’t know why this little girl is no longer among us, but we can thank God for her days on this earth and for memories of her.

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