A Noble Berean Indeed

Our dear Ero reposed in the Lord last night.

A native of Berea (pronounced "VAIR-ee-ya"), she grew up amid war and insurrection, married young and came to America with her American-born Greek husband. He worked all his life at Kroger, bagging groceries and working in the stockroom. They have four daughters, each with variations of Ero's own pretty face, and many grandchildren; I don't know the exact number, but it must be a dozen or more.

She is a sweet and gentle soul, kindness personified. Her life was a difficult one, but she lived it with courage and peace and great faith, keeping her sorrows between herself and her God, but spreading her joy. She was a behind-the-scenes peacemaker, too, always urging people to forgive and make up. She was an advocate for those who stood in need of forgiveness.

I don't know what Matthew will do, her husband. She was his mainstay, his rock, his anchor in this life and the only bright spot in it, so far as I can tell - along with the children and grandchildren, of course. (Plus, on the practical level, although he is an excellent cook, I don't know if he knows how to do a load of laundry or change the bag of a vacuum cleaner.)

To say, "Memory eternal!" seems to me almost blasphemous, as if anyone could doubt that she is now among the blessed; and nobody does. She has already been among the blessed for a long time. Yet, since to judge someone positively is as presumptuous as to judge her negatively, I say it anyway: May God remember her forever in His kingdom!