John Harold Marchand April 16, 1951 – March 18, 2014 “Bounces off me and sticks to you” … That rhythmic, bouncy phrase was repeated often on the play grounds at Gonzales Elementary in the 1950’s and 60s. I am sure it was heard at St. Theresa just as often, but I don’t imagine you expected to hear it about a dear and obviously beloved friend who had recently passed on to his reward. “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” That is the way our Lord stated the same reproof in the Sermon on the Mount … Matthew 7:11-13 The GOLDEN RULE or ETHIC OF RECIPROCITY is how we heard this principle off the school ground, in the classroom: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Harold lived that principal intrinsically, by his very nature. Surprisingly I don’t remember ever hearing him quote the verse or use the Golden Rule in a speech (and Heaven truly knows we heard him speak both in platitudes AND eloquence MANY, MANY times!), but I saw him live it. WHAT YOU SAY AND HOW YOU LIVE MATTERS! Harold worked HARD at finding the good in people – I don’t know that he even realized he was doing it -- he taught me that by his actions. He exposed good where I honestly would never have even looked. And so, over the past few days I have heard over and over in a myriad of ways, “Harold was a wonderful friend, Harold was a Kind Spirit, Harold took a chance on me, Harold was generous, Harold was a gentle giant, HAROLD WAS A GOOD MAN.” I was surprised to find this when I searched for the definition of GOOD … “of a noticeably large size or quantity” … you know, the way we use it in south Louisiana, “I ate a GOOD bit more than I should have at Dalton’s for lunch!” Harold Marchand WAS a GOOD MAN. • What is GOOD? Good is not perfect. The dictionary says Good is Virtuous, Right, Commendable. • Where is GOOD? Harold taught me Good is locatable, to be found, to be sought out. • When is GOOD? Good is when it is truly felt, sensed as genuine, known to be honest. • How is GOOD? Good is how we know that this life is worth living. How God intended our lives to be. • Who is GOOD? James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” Harold was God’s conduit of Good, but that Good sprung from the Father of light. Jesus said in John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” • And Why should we be GOOD? Because it bounces off others and sticks to us. Thank you, Harold, for being so very GOOD to me, to all of us. It sticks to you in our hearts forever.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 00:21:32 +0000
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