ASKED

365 Days of Thanksliving — Day 195

Driving two and a half hours through the flat prairie and farmlands of southern Minnesota can be a yawner. While I truly enjoy gazing upon the changing countryside, sometimes seeing the same scenery can make you lose sight of what’s right before you. Added to that, I don’t do well with silence. So, when my phone rang just as my attention was drifting, it was the perfect thing to break up the monotony.

As the ring hit my speakers, I peeked at my screen. CarPlay brought up the contact: Curt Gode.

“Hello. This is Jason.”

But just as quickly as I answered, Curt’s call disconnected. Sometimes that happens, ya know? I gave it a few minutes before ringing my friend back.

“Curt, hi! Something happened. What’s up?”

That’s when I heard it.“Yah, Pastor. Do you got a minute or two? I have a really, really strange ask….”

Well, Curt wasn’t wrong. Here’s the backstory.

A lady by the name of Linda had found Curt through his family. Her husband, a very distant relative of Curt's, had passed away last December, and she was looking to bury his ashes near his mother’s plot. While the man’s relatives were originally from this area, he hadn’t lived near his kin... well, really ever.

Anyway, while they’d had a memorial service for him in January up North where they live, she was hoping Curt could help organize a burial service down here. She wanted to gather an honor guard (the deceased was a veteran) and find a pastor to say a few words.

While nobody around here really knew the deceased or his widow, Curt wanted to honor his distant relative, especially considering he’d served in Vietnam as an Army medic.

“Pastor,” Curt asked, “Are you available a week from Saturday to say a few words? I know this is a weird ask, but I didn’t know who else to ask, and like you, he was a veteran also.”

“Sure, I think I can help. I’d be glad to. Let’s chat on Sunday about the burial.”

From there, things got a bit weirder. I’ll spare ya the details, but suffice it to say, besides the deceased’s widow, only two other relatives showed up. There were more of us there to help bury him and honor his memory than there was family gathered to say their final respects. But, I guess in the grand scheme of things, that’s not what’s important. What was important was the ask.

Curt’s call to ask if I could preside over the man’s burial was a kind gesture. He could have called any minister in the area, but he reached out to me. He didn’t know if I’d be available on a Saturday, or even if I’d be willing to help. But as I thought about it, who was I to say no?

This morning, we gathered in a small, rural cemetery to lay Dennis Pankonin’s ashes to rest. Gathered alongside Curt and me were seven honor guards from Post 401 (the Odegaard-Quade American Legion from nearby Jeffers), two of Curt’s relatives who help him manage the Red Rock cemetery, and the decedent's widow and her two family members.

The day couldn’t have been nicer to say goodbye to a fellow vet. While I’d never met Dennis Pankonin, his service to country made him a brother in arms. Being asked to say a few words—that was a true privilege.

Today, I’m thankful for the ask. It’s nice, ya know, to be asked to serve a cause that has nothing to do with you. Whether it be to help the grieving, the hungry, the homeless, or a local group, being asked to serve just might be one of the greatest honors of all.

What are you thankful for today? Share a story down below!