The Gift of Christine

I am honored to represent my family with some thoughts and stories of Christine in her earlier years. As I thought about what to say, a comment Chris used all the time kept coming to mind --

When Christine gave a gift she always gave it with the same disclaimer - "If you don't like it... we can always return it"

The physical gifts she gave were always fantastic and so personalized that you would never consider returning one. But what I want to share with you are not stories about the gifts Chris gave, but rather some stories about the gift of Christine.

Chris was given to first, and held the longest by our parents. She began her adventure as a bouncy cherub overflowing with joy and determination. My parents recall the gift of Christine as a six year old wrapped in a bright red jacket, recovering from pneumonia and who had just missed a family Christmas tree outing. Determined not to be left out, she took off with the family collie down into the woods to find her own tree. Luckily for the bright red wrapping, she was spotted and safely recovered by her parents from the bottom of the hill.

This gift of determination, independence and adventure continued as she led her rope line up to the summit of Mt Rainier and on two round-the-world trips with Semester at Sea, as well as countless other adventures.

My parents also fondly recall, while Christine was on a trip to Europe, she awoke first from a group of three napping young ladies in a Swiss meadow and decided, "This is where I want to be". She walked up to two young girls and asked about how to find a job. The girls instantly fell in love with Christine (big surprise) and went to their father, who owned a restaurant, and asked, "Oh Daddy, can we please keep her?" And they did - not just for two ski seasons, but they kept the gift of Christine for a lifetime--in fact, meeting them again when the Hall family returned last year to those same meadows she loved so dearly.

On whatever adventure Christine blasted off on, she was sure to leave a trail of enriched lives and lasting friendships in her wake.

I would like to pause a moment to thank my parents from the bottom my heart and all the hearts she touched, for bringing the gift of Christine into this world and nurturing in her the qualities that made her so remarkable. You have done an amazing job and continue to be a guiding force and example for all your family. Thank you

Chris's older sister, Mim, recalls the gift of Christine like that of a multifaceted diamond reflecting God's love and light uniquely to so many people. Precious far beyond the stone itself, for she was an unselfish instrument that allowed God's joy and love to touch so many through her.

Mim can't recall a single sibling squabble. I'm pretty sure there were some, but relationships were so important to Chris that she would gladly sacrifice her own wants and needs for others.

The example of all of you here perhaps best illustrates the multi facets of this priceless stone and the number of lives she--and, more importantly, God--reached through her. A friend of ours commented the other day on how Christine was such a model Christian, whose bright smile, constant unselfish giving, never complaining, unbelievable strength and grace brought so many to realize that they wanted whatever she had - a life truly in Christ.

Sarah, Chris's younger sister, recalls the gift of Christine as the Queen of Superlatives. A dessert was never just good, it was THE BEST DESSERT EVER! Chris would lavish these superlatives on not just the things she enjoyed but also on the people who surrounded her. Sarah recalls giving Chris a bad time because really every dessert or sunset could not be the best ever. Tom shared with me that even once Christine announced to him that, "I will Never Ever use a superlative again!" and they both exchanged a look and broke out laughing.

But as Sarah looks back now, she realizes that to Chris each of these moments really were the best ever. Christine was so present at each sunset, event, or conversation that they were in fact the best of that moment.

To sum up the gift of Christine for Sarah, just after Chris came home from the hospital for the last time, Sarah had cut some apples for her and Chris looked at Sarah with that signature smile and announced with true sincerity, "These are the best cut apples ever!" --and they were.

To me the gift of Christine was an open door. As the youngest, I was always the first one up on Christmas morning and the first thing I would do is fling open Chris's bedroom door and leap on her bed at full speed. She would greet my enthusiasm by making the moment even more exciting and magical. This was the first of hundreds of examples of how Chris enriched my life by making me always feel like the greatest brother in the world. I was all that mattered to her at that moment even though I'm sure she would have rather rolled back over to sleep and sent me to the next sister's door.

The gift of Christine has come in all shapes, colors and sizes to each of you here and so many more who could not be here. But what this gift has had in common is a deep love for family, friends, God's creations, and God Himself.

Now back to Chris's famous gift-giving statement of: "If you don't like it, we can always return it".

Christine was a gift that we all shared and wanted to hang on to forever. She fit each of us uniquely and because of her we see more beauty in this world, feel more joy, and use more superlatives.

But we are gathered here today because the gift of Christine has been returned to her Maker, and not because she was not loved or needed here. In fact, I don't understand why she had to be returned so early, nor is it for me, or any of us to understand why. But what I do know is that on her return Christine received the greatest gift any of us can ever hope for. At the moment that glorious, adventurous, loving gift we all knew as Christine was return to her Maker, Lord and Savior, she heard from Him, "Well done, good and faithful servant", and she stepped into heaven and announced, "THIS is the BEST place EVER!".