Posted on 08/01/2007 5:11:17 PM PDT by silent_jonny
As most of us already know, she passed away suddenly this week. She had been sick for quite some time, but I don’t think any of us knew exactly how sick she really was.
We’re all in shock … stunned by this …
Gretchen suffered through so much pain in her life that we can’t help but rejoice and thank God she’s now being held in the arms of her friend Jesus--her tears wiped away forever. But then we remember the friend we’ve lost and our tears still flow.
It’s fitting that we have a tribute for G here on the Dose. She was the backbone of this thread, its heart and its spirit. She posted it (often without help) for many years until recently when her health forced her to stop completely. But she never left us. She was always as close as a ping or private message, ready with a kind and reassuring word. Or just a “LOL!”
It was her hope that, once she felt better, she would resume her posting duties … That’s how dedicated she was to the Dose. That’s how much she loved her friends here.
I hope she knew how much we loved her.
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Many people find it awkard if they are given things and cannot give back whether for financial reasons or simply they do not want to give. Gretchen had that ability to enjoy and appreciate what was given her however large or small and make the giver feel that they had enriched her life in some small way.
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Certainly such a gentle, good soul as Gretchen will be so rewarded …
I’ve thought about it a lot and decided that if you could put links on tonight’s thread to the Elvis version of ‘Amazing Grace’ and Brooks & Dunn’s ‘I Believe’ that would represent my feelings perfectly.
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As we gather here tonight to remember our friend, please take a moment to pray for her son Mark. May God comfort and strengthen him at this difficult time.Click here to read Marks beautiful message about his mom. You can see Gretchen’s faith and character reflected in his words.
Please say a prayer for Gretchen’s cousin Carrie and ask that we may continue to receive updates on her progress. Lord, bless this family.
And please remember Gretchen's young friend Sabrina as well.
..I think she was closer to the age of my children..so young to me! Prayers for her family.
Thank you, jonny. God bless and keep and comfort Gretchen M’s family and loved ones, including those here on Fr who came to know and love Gretchen M. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for this your servant and our friend and for all her inspiration to so many.
That said, I'm so glad Gretchen will be able to see how much she is loved, and how much we all care for her family, as well.
Goodness reigns.
Nice dedication and thread jonny. Well done. You are a kind soul.
Thank you for the ping. She will be missed!
It made me smile :) There's so much Dose history I didn't know ... I can imagine Gretchen tending to the flock of different hosts like the good shepard she was.
Her FR mail response to you is consistent with everything we knew her to be. I don't think I ever saw her get truly angry. I'm sure she got frustrated and annoyed as we all do, but God's grace was always present in her words and actions ... her gentleness shined through.
A few weeks ago, during the immigration insanity, a poster (an obvious victim of Bush Derangement Syndrome) sent me an unpleasant FR mail, "DEMANDING" to be removed from the Dose ping list. Why this person was on the list in the first place, I don't know.
I was mad and I didn't do much to hide it when I passed along this person's request to Gretchen, lol
Gretchen's response to me was both calming and reassuring. It was exactly what I needed to hear ...
I'll miss her encouragement and wisdom, the quiet ways that she cheered us on.
God bless you, Gretchen. I love you and will miss you. I thank you for the life lessons you taught me. I'm glad your suffering is over and that you are at peace in a place no hurt can ever reach you again. In the fullness of time, we will all follow -- even the President we have tried, in our own small ways -- to serve.
Amen, my friend.
That’s beautiful Meg, thank you :)
A collective THANK YOU to you all for your soothing words and prayers. I wish I could thank you all individually. God bless your kindness!
I am shocked to hear about her passing.
May she be at peace and safe in the Arms of Our Lord.
I hope Mike and Jon can link up in Kuwait...they should cross paths, but it’s gonna be real close time wise....I have my boys here on the weekends to keep me company and BUSY..lol...thanks for thinking of me...I’ll be okay...just have to get into the swing of things again...the first week is the hardest.
I wondered who Mike was. I mean her son spoke of him finding her and I didn’t know if he was family or friend.
Apparently, very good friend.
Wolfstar,
I understand how you felt about what you perceived as Wide Awakes usurping the dose, which had been a Free Republic staple for almost 7 years.
However, in defense of the Wide Awakes people, I want to say that many of the most enthusiastic dose participants had been summarily banned from Free Republic and went to WA only as a refuge.
They missed the daily pics of the President and his staff and family and recreated it there.
I have not been to that thread on Wide Awakes, but I think that some people who loved it here, but could no longer post on it just wanted something similar.
I don’t think they could or intended to take away from this longstanding and much loved thread. It was just a substitute for them.
It is a mark of that wonderful woman that even those who have left this website and probably have not communicated with her for several months want to pay tribute to her and her life and the love she extended to all.
Thank you Altura. My purpose in relating the story about Gretchen was most assuredly NOT to get into a debate about WA, or people who currently post there and their reasons for doing so. You didn’t need to defend them. This is a tribute to Gretchen. Perhaps we could discuss the other at a more appropriate time.
Thanks for sharing that Julie.. tickles & embraces your soul, doesn’t it?
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Yes, indeed!
And it makes me smile to think that both Gretchen and Richard are now singing with sweet angels!
Thank you so much for your kind words. God bless you!
My point also was the same reflecting her character and it shows by the fact that there are these 2 threads over at wide awakes how wide spread her influence has been to people who have participated at one time or another on this website and in particular on the dose.
Thank you, SJ, for all you have done on this thread and for Gretchen and for all of us on FR.
WOW, i’m in shock! I have been following Gretchen’s email updates on her cousin, Carrie, and praying for her recovery. I am deeply saddened to hear of Gretchen’s passing. I didn’t know her nor did i ever correspond with her but i feel like we connected in some way. her passion through her words really moved and touched me. prayers to mark and gretchen’s family.
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