Her Storage was Empty

A friend and I were in the presence of the Lord for the 'homegoing celebration' of Tomasina Sisco, sister of a mutual friend. It was held at the Sky Rose Chapel of the Rose Hills Mortuary in Whittier, CA. Sky Rose Chapel is at the top of the Hill on the massive mortuary property. The chapel is beautiful. Later, I will post pictures of the amazing architecture in this lovely structure. Sister Edna was visibly moved to her Friendship church family present. I was visibly moved to see the life of this lady, now with the Lord, unfold before me, how her life touched so so many, and how faith in God permeated this extensive family. Also I am constantly amazed how small this huge orbit we travel in is when I encountered a family friend I haven't seen in some 30-40 years from my days living in Pasadena. Lolita Parker was a family friend of our next door neighbor. My family was very close with these same neighbors and, therefore, knew them as well. I saw her name on the guest book as I signed in and when I entered sanctuary from the foyer, I saw her. The woman I knew had a radiant personality and attractiveness and, while time did not sit still, the evidence of what I remembered best about her was these same qualities. We talked for a moment; she had know 'Tommi' for 30 years. In the time since I had known Lolita, Tomasina had touched her life also. When I read Tomasina's obituary, I learned she too had lived in Pasadena for many years. Most importantly, I learned that she, like her sister, loved children. She most loved the Lord and she served him joyfully. She was remembered by so many. The words spoken about her were very touching. People loved Tomasina, and it was for the love she, herself, gave. Her family included a great number of foster children. Minimally, she left 7 children, 25 grandchildren and 15 great grands. Originally from Massachusetts, she touched lives there and also Phoenix AZ and Pasadena/Monrovia and the Inland Empire. What a legacy of love she leaves going Home. One person noted that she left to be with the Lord just prior to 'All Saints Day'. A song, 'I'm Available to You', sung amongst many precious songs, had these words 'my storage is empty'. This remains with me to resonate. May we all leave with our 'storages bare' having said to the Lord 'Use me Lord, To show someone the way a enable me to say My storage is empty, and I am available to You'. The lyrics to this beautiful song are below. I was blessed to have shared in this 'homegoing celebration! I can see why Sister Edna is such a dear; her roots run deep in her family and in our Lord.

You gave me my hands to reach out to man To show Him your love and your perfect plan You gave me my ears I can hear your voice so clear I can hear the cries of sinners But can I wipe away their tears ---------- You gave me my voice to sing your Word To sing all your praises to those who've never heard But with my eyes I see your need for more availability I see hearts that have been broken So many people to be free ---- Lord, I'm available to You My will I give to You I'll do what You say do Use me Lord To show someone the way And enable me to say My storage is empty And I am available to You --- Now I'm giving back to You All the tools You gave to me My hands My ears My voice My eyes So You can use them as You please I have emptied out my cup So that You can fill me up Now I'm free And I just want to be More available to You Ah Use me Lord, To show someone the way And enable me to say My storage is empty, and I am available to You