For Leslie ~ From Denise Stair-Armstrong

With a full heart last week, I took some time to read through Leslie’s thread of messages to me from the year 2020, on Facebook messenger. She had initiated the outreach, graciously inviting me to contribute to her Wild Things and Castles in the Sky: A Guide to Choosing the Best Books for Children book project. I loved the idea immediately. Its inclusivity made me imagine heaven and I thought I had an idea and appropriate books for the anthology she envisioned. Leslie liked the sound of it too.

However, three edits in, impacted by Leslie’s health, personal family challenges of my own, Covid-19, and a need to pack up our home of eighteen years and move to Germany (plus the start of MA studies!) led me to realize I could not deliver on the project. I mournfully wrote to Leslie regretting the missed opportunity. Her humble response blew me away!

She actually tried to take responsibility, wishing she had known better, earlier, as she put it, how to walk me through the editing process to completion. When the book was published, I wrote to congratulate Leslie and again this Christlike woman still expressed the same generous, gracious response. I don’t know how it will be in Heaven, but I would like to think that Leslie Bustard will edit my writing there, to perfection, for the King’s glory! She already reflects His likeness in so many ways. 

Peaceful journey Home, dear Sister, 

Denise

This tribute by Denise Armstrong is part of an “In Memoriam” series we are running this week for our dear friend Leslie Anne Bustard. 

The featured image is courtesy of Julie Jablonski and used with her kind permission for Cultivating.

Denise Stair-Armstrong

I am Denise Stair Armstrong; born and raised Jamaican. I received all my formal academic education in the land of my birth at Shortwood Teachers’ College and the University of the West Indies, specializing in English Language & Literatures in English. The remainder I’ve gained home educating our three wonderful children – Joseph, Charis and Timothy, parenting them with my husband Claude, and in caring for my wheel-chair bound mother. I enjoy reading, cooking, gardening, theatre and ballroom dancing with Claude (only!) and digging into the Word of God.

My passion is worship expressed primarily through writing inspirational pieces that urge readers not to miss how much the Lord has “cramm’d earth with heaven”. My heart is to encourage them to traverse the gap between all our hearts and the cultures that shape them, via the Bridge that is Calvary’s cross.

denisesarmstrong.com