Remembering Rebekah Carter

I really still can't believe it. On Tuesday, May 23, 2006, the Lord took one of the truly great people to ever walk this earth up to heaven. Words can't express the sorrow and anguish I genuinely feel for the Carter family as well as the many many people she touched. I remember Rebekah as almost looking like someone special. Eventhough she was one of the most beautiful women I have ever met, she would have never been the kind of person to even think such a conceited thing about herself. Instead of being judgemental, she encouraged, and instead of being selfish, she gave.....and gave......and gave......and gave.

It is extremely even more unfortunate that I only got to be around her on a consistent basis for 3 semesters while I was attending Mississippi College. Now most of you know that my overall experience at MC was not a pleasant one, but if anyone can be considered someone that can change your perspective on something like that, Rebekah would have to be a winner. It always meant alot to me that someone so popular and so great in every aspect would ALWAYS take time to listen to me eventhough 95% of the time she thought was an idiot, and 99% of the time she was right.

I never understood how so much compassion, love, joy, and kindness could come from one single person. It really takes a special person to possess all of those qualities to that degree. I know personally that if I had been in her situation looking at myself that I wouldn't have been as patient and nice to me as she was. I still remember her telling me things like "I appreciate you", "you're special", and "God will use you".

After my time at MC, Rebekah still affected my family a great deal because of her father being minister of music at my grandfather's church in Greenville, MS. I still remember hearing my grandparents talk about how nice the entire family was to them and how Rebekah would always ask about me and then talk about me like I was some great person which I never deserved. Especially from someone like that.

I could obviously write all day about someone so humble, so friendly, and so Godly. I can honestly say that Rebekah was the most Godly and Christian woman I have ever met. Few people have touched my life as much as she has. However, there is one thing about her that happened once that always stood out to me, and it happens to be the very last time we saw each other. Me and the aforementioned John Martin Lassiter had an extremely rowdy 21st birthday celebration at Old Venice in Jackson that night. When we arrived back on campus, we saw Rebekah out front talking to some other people we knew. Being the idiot I am, I made a very rude comment which I would give anything to take back. The next day, I was preparing to sing with MC Singers at the MC Alumni reception and I saw Rebekah again. Obviously, I was very embarassed by the previous night's events and all I could do was apologize. The thing that floored me was that she said to me "I just want you to be careful" and gave me a hug.

I have never forgotten that as long as I've been alive. That or all the numerous times she prayed for me personally, or all the times I went from feeling like the poor left out to someone important just because of her.

Goodbye, Rebekah, you are in a better place now and words can't express how much you touched my life.
Isaiah 43:18-19

-Note: The two pictures are from 2001 Shawreth Formal. The first is Rebekah with Martha Grace Green and Amy Smith. The second is Rebekah with Jay Avance.