While sitting at my kitchen table last Thursday morning, I saw a message light up on my phone. It was way too early for the message to be good news. As I read the message, my heart broke.
There had been a plane crash in Venice, Fla. Four people had been killed, two of them I knew. Rick and Bethe Beaver.
Trying to wrap my thoughts around the tragic news, the tears began to fall. It was just so hard to believe. They were such good people who were making a difference in our community and with so many whose lives they touched.
I have known Rick for over 40 years. He was that guy who was always smiling. At church, he would take the time to cross over the aisle to say, “Good Morning, Janet, and how are you?” He didn’t just ask that question. Rick cared.
They say you should always invite people into your life who will influence you in a positive way. Rick and Bethe were that kind of people. We weren’t close friends but whenever I was out and about in Noblesville and ran into them, we always stopped to chat. They were part of “Old Noblesville.”
So, here’s the thing. Growing up in Noblesville and staying here, we have this bond. “Old Noblesville” glue. We’ve watched each other’s children grow up. We remind each other that when a grandbaby comes along, our hearts will never be the same. Our hearts recognize each other.
Rick and Bethe were people who talked of their faith in everyday conversations. It wasn’t preachy. It was just real faith and so much a part of who they were.
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People talk about having a calling in their lives. Many think it’s being called to be a minister or a missionary. But, my dear friends, it is so much more. It’s in the everyday moments of sharing who God is in your life. It’s showing kindness. It’s showing up. It’s speaking hope into the lives of young people. It’s hugging a troubled soul. Rick and Bethe had found their calling.
As I sit here in Ginger’s Cafe, some 24 hours later, I’m writing this column and listening to CeCe Winans sing “The Goodness of God.” I can remember Rick and Bethe sitting in their pew at White River Christian Church, with their arms raised, praising God. They would tell you that God is good … even in the hard times. Death has not written the final chapter for Rick and Bethe. Oh, the sweet chapter being written in Heaven.
Heaven is real, and on that dark night when they took their last breath I know, without a shadow of a doubt, a few minutes before 10:00, they were welcomed with the words, “Welcome home, good and faithful servants, your life on earth is done and you lived it well.”
Thank you, Rick and Bethe, for loving us well. We can only hope to be such an example as you have been. You will be missed.
Janet Hart Leonard can be contacted at janethartleonard@gmail.com or followed on Facebook or Instagram (@janethartleonard). Visit janethartleonard.com.