Goodbye, friend.

We lost a good friend yesterday.

 Tracey Hawkins has been part of Blessing House since the beginning. Tracey was a Supervisor at Lorain County Children Services when we asked her to help us formulate our approach to plead our case in Columbus. Fortunately for us she was able to join us in Columbus and share from her expertise how Blessing House would complement the work of LCCS. For the past several years she has served as our social worker. She has worked with our families, trained our staff and joined us in many events. This past summer she rode on our float in the International Parade.

 Tracey was a very simple person. She was always helping someone somewhere with whatever was needed. Her heart for others was very large and her concern for children was immense. Her laughter and her quick wit made every encounter something to enjoy.

 As her health problems developed, she would give you a matter of fact update with no complaining. She endured being poked and prodded and never lost her ability to laugh. She was always ready for a visit or a chat and her advice was always welcome. She had a unique way of looking at circumstances that seemed to put everything into perspective.

 Over the past couple of years we had a lot of conversations about faith. We never spoke about religion but rather about God. Her trust in her God and her surrender to accepting whatever God had placed in her life was humbling. She truly knew that God was always caring for her no matter what happened.

 Yesterday Tracey entered into the fullness of God’s loving presence. I would guess she had watched her beloved Steelers win on Sunday and then eased back in her recliner for a quick nap. I imagine she was surprised to awaken on the other side of death with no more pain or discomfort.

 Tracey will truly be missed.