Yesterday at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, they held the first of two memorial services for Retia Dukes.  Her son Jason posted on his blog the video that opened that service.  I made it to the 2:57 mark when the single word “miracle” appeared on screen…

Dr. Dukes was a great help to me during my time at seminary.  I started seminary at age 33, fourteen years removed from the last time I stepped foot in a classroom.  We arrived in New Orleans having been married for less than a month, with no job prospects and not knowing a soul.  Many was the time that I didn’t think I had what it took to cut it in seminary.  Many were the days that we had no idea where grocery money, rent money or gas money would come from.  And while God always came through right on time, I was very discouraged at times… my wife downright depressed.  God used Dr. Jimmy Dukes to encourage me to hang in there and be faithful to my calling.

Retia Dukes, I can quite honestly say I didn’t know very well at all.  She worked on campus as secretary to the seminary President, but since I had pretty much no reason to ever have to go to his office to see him, I had very little contact with Mrs. Dukes except in passing around campus.  But in following her journey through the almost daily Caringbridge updates over the past 4 months, I felt like I got to know her better.  And I was really just blown away when I heard of her passing Monday after putting up such a brave fight.

And it was indeed a miracle that she battled back as far as she did before a blood infection finally took her.  So when I got to that part of the video, I just really had a tough time.

Click on over, spend 4 minutes and 5 seconds, and then be sure you remember to always tell those closest to you just how much you love them, ’cause you just never ever know…