It was three weeks after my sixteenth birthday when I walked into a Christian book and health food store a few miles from our house. Behind the counter was a blonde headed woman in her late fifties, who's smile lit the room. She welcomed us into the store. After walking the isles for a couple minutes, I came back to the counter and asked if the store was hiring.
She handed me an application and encouraged me to apply. They said it would be a couple months before they were hiring, but I filled it out anyway and returned it the next afternoon. Within a week, I was working full time. Fran, the beautiful lady behind the counter became my coworker and my good friend.
We worked together six days a week for the next two and a half years before I left for college. Days with Fran were moments marked in history with laughter. Other times, if I was sick, Fran would say "Let's pray right now. Yes Lord. Fix it Lord." She was never pushy about these moments, but sweet in her belief that if anything was troubling your body, mind, or spirit, Fran was the first to believe God could fix it.
I watched her help hundreds of people over the years. A year after I left for college, the store closed and Fran took a job at another health food store just around the corner. I made it back a few times a year to say hello to Fran...and she was always pleased when I came in the door. That same smile lit up the room.
A week before I left for Kenya, I stopped in to pick up something from the store and Mrs. Fran was working. I told her I was leaving for Africa and she was determined to help me get there. She only had a $20 in her purse, so she pulled $20 out of the cash register, promising to pay her boss back and handed me $40. She was so proud that I was taking the journey.
When I got back from Kenya, Fran had fallen and broken her hip, leaving her unable to go to work. I had bought her a necklace in the Village Market in Nairobi. She made it back to work in March and I took her the necklace. She loved it. "Oh how pretty" she gawked. Simple things made her face light up.
A few weeks ago I got an email. Fran had colon cancer. She was nearing the end. She had battled lung cancer years before and it had developed into breast cancer and she ended up having a total masectamy. She was already a tiny woman, but Fran was allergic to alot of things. Fran didn't have alot of options when it came to food. This past week she was sent home on hospise and had been unable to eat. Friday night she went to be with the Lord.
If there was ever a woman I know who loved the Lord with everything she had, served Him first, and loved others, it was Mrs. Fran. I don't know a single person that could say anything bad about Fran. She worked hard. It's a blessing to know that she is with the Father and finally at rest. She is one lady that I know I will look forward to being reunited with in heaven.She'll be upset that anyone fussed over her at her funeral.
Mrs. Fran...I hope you know how much you were loved. Your simple life touched hundreds. I pray that I never forget the lessons you taught me. Thank you for being a reflection of Christ on this earth. I look forward to the joy of seeing you again. Until then, I know you'll be dancing around the Father's throne.
Much Love,
Kelly
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