Brighten the Corner Where You Are . . .

Phillip Keen was with the Suite101 community of web-writers for only a short time, but he left a deep impression on my life. His enthusiasm was catching. He was consumed with an urgency about informing his friends and readers about Prader-Willi Syndrome. It is almost as if he knew that he had only little time for what seemed such a big job.

A Time to Rejoice

Phillip on his favorite mode of transportation, in front of the church he loved When I received news that Phillip had gone home to glory, my heart rejoiced, because I knew that he was with the Lord he served. Immediately, a Sunday school song started running through my thoughts: "Brighten the corner where you are . . ." Yes, that is what Phillip did. He brightened the corner in which the Lord had placed him, and I was fortunate to share that corner with him for a little while.

The Internet is rather a large corner in which he had been placed, and sometimes he felt overwhelmed with responsibilities and technical difficulties, but a little email encouragement would get Phillip to smile again and to set him on the road to helping and encouraging others.

Friendship with Phillip

Phillip and I had much in common. We both loved the Lord. We both loved music. Both of us were reaching out to others on the Internet because of disabilities which made other communication difficult. Both of us wrote about our disabilities from first-hand experience, he about Prader-Willi syndrome and I about posttraumatic stress disorder.

Both of our lives on this earth were miracles. Children with Phillip's disorder do not usually grow into adulthood, and people with the kidney disorder with which I was born, almost invariably die in infancy. I was in my mid-thirties before the condition was discovered and corrected surgically. Phillip and I both felt that we were here because our job on earth was not done.

Completion

Phillip's work is done now. Mine is not. As soon as it is, I will be joining my dear friend, and both of us will be whole. As he stands before the Lord, I hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" (Matthew 25:21)

Yes, Phillip was faithful in brightening his corner on the Internet.

Preparation for the Homeward Journey

During the last month of his life, Phillip loved his new task of playing the organ for a senior men's prayer group in his church. He also enjoyed reading the stories at this Healing Hug site. As a matter of fact, he had just applied to WebSeed to manage a site of his own here. These stories of healing through love, faith, and hope helped him to focus his attention on what is really important in life, reaching out to others to pass on the healing hug. That is what Phillip did during the short time that I have known him. He let his light shine. Heaven is a little brighter today, because of Phillip.

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© Traute Klein, biogardener
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