AngelSong

Lucy "had a little age on her," but she had a remarkable ability to connect with students 40-50 years younger than her, especially those who were marginalized.  I was blessed to have worked with this wonderful school counselor for four years.

Lucy died quite unexpectedly, a shock to us all.  A memorial service was held in a 1500-seat auditorium, almost every seat taken.  Any and all were invited to say a few words of tribute to Lucy.  Long lines of eulogists, ranging in age from 14 to 70+, formed down both sides of the auditorium to access the microphones on each side of the stage.  All spoke emotionally, most through tears and tightened throats, of the impact Lucy had made on their lives.

But then...

A gorgeous young woman (30ish?) stepped to the microphone and described her transfer as a 9th grader into the high school in which Lucy worked.  The young lady told of her anxiety, the unfortunate circumstances of her life at that time, her fears and paranoia about entering a new school, and the challenging family situation that caused her to be withdrawn and insecure.  Lucy took this freshman girl under her wing, nurtured her, supported her, coaxed her out of her shell.  Lucy, in the words of this young woman, had rescued her from the depths of despair.  The young woman noted that Lucy often introduced her to others as "the girl that will sing at my funeral." 

The young woman shared with us that she had moved on in life, finished college, was fully absorbed in a professional career and family life, when she saw in the newspaper that Lucy had passed away.  She and Lucy had been out of touch for many years.  But, the young lady said that she knew, as soon as she saw the obituary, that she MUST attend Lucy's memorial service and that she MUST fulfill Lucy's prophesy.

The young woman then launched, a cappella, into the most beautiful rendition of "Wind Beneath My Wings" that I have ever heard.  Three thousand wet eyes and 1500 heavy hearts knew, without doubt, that we were hearing the voice of one of Lucy's angels, one Providentially dispatched to sing Lucy home.