Passionate. I cannot think of a better word to describe my friend Anastasia. I first met Anastasia when she moved with her husband and two boys to the area we lived around 1991. She and her family worshiped with us in Richardson, but they lived near us in Carrollton, which was unusual - being members of a church in the Metroplex usually meant members were scattered for miles. Our children were near the same ages, and we spent lots of days together at the park or at each other's home.
Anastasia became my "go to" person for babysitting the girls when I was pregnant with Caleb and had to go for prenatal checkups. My girls called her "Ms. 'Stasia," and they were scared to death of her! Of course, at that point in their lives, they were scared of just about everything, but it was funny how they loved her, as long as it was from a distance. Remember the first word I used to describe her? Her passion for everything she did produced a very loud, outgoing personality - something which my girls were not used to!
Anastasia was always there in a pinch. I knew that I could call upon her for anything I needed, and she would be available at a moment's notice. Her husband, James, was the same. Toward the end of my pregnancy with Caleb, I was restricted by my doctor, and was not able to attend Ladies' Bible Class. One Tuesday morning after class, my doorbell rang, and I opened it to find the ladies' class! Organized by Anastasia, they were there to clean my house and do my laundry. Later on, Anastasia organized meals to be brought to our house daily for about a month. I was always moved by what she did for me, but Anastasia blessed me by reciprocating that. On several occasions, she would call me when she needed something in a pinch - babysitting, her yard mowed, etc. I loved it that she felt like she could do that as well.
Anastasia and I didn't always agree, but she respected my beliefs. Even though we often disagreed on matters of judgment spiritually, one thing I never doubted was her deep love for God, and her passionate desire to serve Him with her all.
Several years after I met her, she moved with her family to Oklahoma. I missed her, and we were blessed on several occasions to meet up with each other to visit. A few years after they moved to Oklahoma, her husband James passed away after a short illness. He was only 42, and left Anastasia with 4 children, the youngest of whom was only 7 months old. In true Anastasia fashion, she plugged through her grief and tragedy with a strong resolve to raise her children in the Lord, and to serve Him in all she did. She has since remarried, and continues to be a blessing to those who know her.
From Anastasia, I learned that you can be friends with people who are polar opposites from you on the personality scale! And in those friendships, you can grow by seeing things from a different perspective. She taught me that even when we disagree, we can still find common ground if we are both serving God. From her I learned that having people you can call in a pinch is wonderful, but it is equally great to be able to be that person for someone else. Through the way she responded to her great loss, she taught me how to approach the death of a loved one with faith and resolve. My life is better because Anastasia touched it. And as an added bonus, my girls aren't scared of her anymore - at least, I don't think they are!
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