I consider it one of God’s greatest gifts that I have had the privilege of knowing Louise. I’m not much of a people person, and when she first came to our Bible study group her input was muted by some of the more exuberant voices in the group (you know who you are!). But as time passed and I got to know Lou I discovered a remarkable person. Not perfect, but remarkable. I discovered someone whose default mood was always positive. I discovered a great sense of humour. I discovered someone intelligent, thoughtful and engaging. I discovered a friend.
Lou could be tough and then in the next breath be gentle and caring. Among the memories I will treasure one is of a particular visit to Lou during one of her many stays in hospital. We chatted for a while, and then she noticed the small plaster on my arm where I’d given a blood sample earlier that day. She commiserated with me, and expressed sympathy for my discomfort. There she was, lying in a hospital bed with multiple tubes going into and out of her body, and she was commiserating with MY discomfort! She took me by surprise, but then she tended to do that.
Louise’s drive and courage have touched me deeply. I don’t know of anyone else who could have gone through all she did and handled it all as bravely as she did. Impressive, remarkable, special … the words don’t quite live up to her.
What struck me most of all about Louise was her faith in God. My own tendancy is for my faith to be something of an intellectual exercise, all about getting the theology right. It wasn’t like that for Lou. Not that she wasn’t interested in the theology, far from it. But as she faced her death her faith had a reality and grittyness that made it far bigger than my own. It must have been tempting to Louise to see God as a means to escape from her suffering. It must have been tempting to demand that He heal her, and then to be angry when He did not. But she refused to go down that road. Instead she just trusted in God. And kept on trusting in Him. All of us will miss Louise deeply, and the gap she has left in our lives will not be healed this side of heaven. But I for one take great comfort from the fact that the God who Louise so steadfastly and courageously trusted is the God who keeps His promises.
Our love and prayers are with you all.
Deane, Polly, Jemimah, Keziah and Amelia
(Search tags: Louise Roodt)
