Our
church lost another friend recently. Her
name was Bonnie Cantrell. She was 73
years of age and a vibrant testimony to God’s Amazing Grace. I only knew her for what turned out to be the
last year of her life, and I loved being around her. She faithfully attended worship every Sunday
night, and her smile was contagious. She was wheelchair bound, but she found every
way possible to be involved with the church; and everyone loved her. She passed away on May 26, 2014.
On
Wednesday evenings Bonnie attended Celebrate Recover that meets on our Pasadena
campus. This is what caught my attention
about her story.
By
her own confession Bonnie was an alcoholic, and had drug related issues. After
a period of denial she finally entered into an AA program, but it was a tough
journey.
At
the age of 30 she began to lose her hearing due to a disease called Otosclerosis
and became dependent on hearing devices.
In time she became completely deaf and was
given a hearing assistance dog that she named Kramer. She said, “He became my
lifeline to the world. He signaled me when the phone rang, when someone spoke
to me, and when someone came in the door.”
Both
Bonnie and her husband drank to the point of excess and it took a toll on their
relationship. The stress and strain wore
heavily on her life. In time her husband
passed away and this added to her pain.
She said her life was becoming unmanageable when she discovered she had
Parkinson’s Disease. It became difficult for her to walk. To make things easier she moved into an
apartment but she said, “As my disease drew worse, it became so difficult to
move that I had to use a power chair in addition to the hearing devices and I
also had to give up my car.” All of
these things led her to a feeling of inadequacy, and she had to depend upon
friends for rides to and from AA meetings.
During this time Bonnie’s hearing assistance dog,
Kramer, died. This hurt her deeply and
she struggled. After a couple of months
she received another hearing assistance dog named, Amber, who helped her feel
less alone, but her health continued to decline and she started losing her
power of speech. When that happened, she said, “I started thinking about ending
it all because I felt that I had no value. I tried to carry out that mission in
September of 2009 by taking what should have been a lethal combination of
anti-depressants and painkillers. Fortunately, the facility where I lived sent
someone to check on me and I was taken to the hospital in the nick of time. My
stomach was pumped and I was put on a 72-hour hold which lasted 12 days.”
It is hard to imagine but as it turned out her
failed suicide attempt became the beginning of a healing process. Doctors were able to diagnose the fact that
the many medications she was taking were conflicting with one another. This encouraged her to really invest herself
in working the steps of AA. It was never
easy but her faithfulness and endurance led her forward.
Recently, Bonnie
wrote, “A few years ago, I thought my life was over and I was ready to pack it
in. But with the help of [Jesus Christ] and the program of A.A., I have been
given, not just a second chance, but a third chance to live and be a
contributing member of A.A. and a part of my family and a group of friends who
have stood by me through all the difficult years.”
Of her testimony, Susan
Kaiser, one who knew her best said, “She always praised the Lord when she
was doing well physically, and wholeheartedly trusted Him when things were not
well. Spending time with Bonnie taught me about a living faith, living in
the present moment. She loved
Jesus. She was not afraid at the end.
She was ready to enter into Gods Glory. And in Bonnie style, she made it
easy for us left behind to watch her go into the Glory, full of grace, smiles,
and love”
Bonnie’s
higher power was Jesus Christ whom she loved with all her heart. Her life in Christ was contagious. Susan Kaiser wrote, “I
miss the dancing eyes, the smiles, the grateful attitude. But I take
comfort knowing she is in the presence of Jesus.” To this eulogy everyone who knew Bonnie would
say, “Yes.”
This precious woman stayed faithful
until the very end, and left us with love in her heart, joy in her smile,
courage in her countenance, and a resilient faith in Jesus Christ, whom she
embraced as Savior and Lord. She was our
sister in Christ, and a fragrant aroma of God right up in and through that very
moment on May 26, 2014 when she was taken by her Savior and received the end result
of her faith, the salvation of her soul (I Peter 1:9).
I imagine it was a most powerful
moment when Bonnie opened her eyes, looked into the face of Jesus, and heard
Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant…Come and share your master’s
happiness” (Matthew 25:23).
At her memorial service the last
thing spoken of Bonnie were words from the apostle Paul, words that seemed so
appropriate. I find them to be her
testimony and her legacy: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I
have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7).
Rest in peace, Bonnie. Thanks for sharing your life with us. God
bless you, too. We’ll see you in the
morning.
