[Magdalen] Prayer Request: My friend Peggy

[Rick Mashburn]

In your mercy, please remember my dear friend Peggy in your prayers. I
found out today that she has been moved to a hospice facility after a short
but serious illness that included pneumonia and heart disease. Alex and I
visited tonight and it was good to see her but hard to see her this way.
She was lucid at some points and confused at others. She's surrounded by
her family which I know gives her great comfort.

We had just celebrated her 90th birthday in mid-September. There was a big
party and lots of friends and family. I never imagined that this would
happen so quickly.

The only solace, and it's cold comfort indeed, is that her celebration of
life should be a fine one in the Episcopal tradition. She has told us for
years that When the Saints Go Marching In will be played

She was a war bride from England in the 1940s . She and her new husband
settled in the northeast US. After she had been widowed a couple of times,
she followed her son and grandchildren to Texas. Alex and I took her to
lunch one Saturday not too long ago and she kept us entertained with
stories about surviving WW2 in southeastern England. Her family home was
only a few miles from the cliffs of Dover.

She wasn't an initial supporter of same-sex marriage. But she heartily
approved of Alex and was the first one to offer her blessing when we
announced our engagement. She came to our Blessing ceremony at St. Paul's
last November and told me after that she was very proud of us and our
Diocese.

She served on multiple Vestries in New Jersey and Texas and I had the honor
of serving with her on the Board of our homeowners association for the last
8 years.

She's been an amazing friend, a fervent champion and a steady presence. I
can't imagine life without her. This is a difficult night.

God's peace, Rick