Not all heroes wear capes

2015 has been a difficult year for me.  I’ve documented some of the ordeals that have come my way.  While all of those trials were legitimate, they seem rather small compared to the news I'm about to share with you.  My father, Jerry, died.  He was only 60 years old.

 

This news is shocking because my father was the model of health.  He ate healthy foods; he exercised regularly; and he had very little caffeine.  Never in a million years would anyone predict that this would happen.  Yes, he had that Melanoma crisis back in May, but that was resolved – that wasn’t the cause.  You may be asking, “What was the cause, then?”  Well, as of right now, the reason eludes us (the autopsy report is still pending).  All we know for sure is his race on this Earth has concluded.

 

Let me move on to the impact that my father, Jerry Bauer, made on me.  In short, he was one of my heroes.  In fact, a couple of years ago, I got him a t-shirt for Father’s Day that had a picture of a man with Superman’s “S” emblem on the chest, and a flowing cape; the caption read: “Dad: Not all heroes wear capes.” 

That shirt is so apropos for my father because, like a superhero, Dad consistently served his wife, family, friends, and coworkers in so many ways, but he refused the credit for doing so.  He was one of the most unselfish people I’ve ever known.  I can't be Jerry Bauer.  He was one of a kind.  But I want to live the rest of my life honoring Dad and his memory by endeavoring to be as selfless, giving, and loving as he was.

Incidentally, his funeral was yesterday, and it was lovely.  I decided to put off blogging about this until after the funeral.  For one thing, we all have been so busy with the thousands of details it takes to put a service like this together.  

While I understand that not everyone who reads these words are praying people, I want to ask that you would please keep the Bauer family in your prayers.  Our worlds have been turned upside down.  Please keep my mother, Rose Mary, in your prayers.  She lost the love of her life.  She was married to my dad for 41 years.  Mom recently said that she felt like she is walking around without a right arm.

I’m sure you want to know how I am holding up.  Of course, I’m grieving and tremendously sad.  This is a road that I never would have signed up to walk.  But, as I’ve said to several people, the hope of Heaven is what is sustaining me.  My father is in Heaven because of his right relationship with God, through Jesus Christ.  Without this truth, I don’t know how I would endure.