B is for Burleson

There are people who only know you for a short season in the overall tapestry of your life, and yet the thread they wove stands out boldly as one that helps define who you came to be. Michael Todd Burleson was just such a man in my own life. A teacher, mentor, and friend who showed up at what could be called the formative years and shared his enthusiasm, his faith, and his family with me at a time when all of those essential elements were either lacking or in crisis in my own world.

Today, one year after his home going, I remember Mr. B and the indelible mark of grace he left on my life. I remember his wife, Natalie, and pray for the peace, rest, and strength it takes to daily lead and care for her sweet children. I remember those sweet children--Austin, Dylan, Christian, Mary Claire, and Jackson--and pray that they will grow into whatever calling God has placed on their unique and precious lives. And I also pray that they will walk in the legacy that their father left for them, a legacy to which I feel an adopted beneficiary, a legacy that reminds us all that the gospel is true.