As our thoughts and prayers go out to Kim and his family, we’d like to share this memorial piece by Tammy Rowan:
\n<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n“During our summers at The Kilns, I would often pause in front of Joy’s portrait in the room of her namesake. Many thoughts came to mind, in forefront, the unfathomable sense of loss Lewis must have felt upon her death. For me, this spot in a house full of diversions became a place of prayerful reflection. With the coming events in our lives, the prayers I often said there grow deeper in their intentions.<\/p>\n
We were a happy crew hosting the Summer Seminars. To our surprise, we discovered a familial bond, three sisters and a brother held close by days of\u00a0hurried domesticity. Like the most\u00a0fortunate of brethren, we were to\u00a0share some of life’s happiest moments, and in due course, together shoulder its most painful ones.<\/p>\n
The first break in our sunny skies came with the devastating illness and death of our beloved sister, Kate Simcoe. Only a year and a few months have passed since she left us, leaving a chasmic void in our hearts that, honesty demanding, will never be filled. Kim Gilnett, Debbie Haney, and I, in a manner shared by the closest of siblings, helped one another\u00a0cope with\u00a0the loss of one so dear, and continue to do so yet.<\/p>\n
With this heart wound still fresh, we find ourselves pausing again. No matter how many severe blows we receive in this life, pain, on entering our lives through another door, never loses its prodigious ability to steal our breath away. Upon hearing of Jennifer Gilnett’s illness, through a night of rending prayer and supplication, and\u00a0on the final\u00a0receiving\u00a0of news that God had called her home, we\u00a0suffered\u00a0the arrows again, so brutal and incomprehensible. We ask ourselves how\u00a0the\u00a0brilliant and talented wife of our brother, Kim, could be snatched away\u00a0in a cruel and shocking\u00a0instant?<\/p>\n
I had the opportunity to meet\u00a0Jennifer once, but knew her beforehand from the deserving\u00a0praise of her husband.\u00a0In our brief time in Seattle, we chatted easily over dinner in an Irish pub. We traded stories and mishaps of an editor’s life, tossing about the jargon of the trade with convivial sympathy. I was overwhelmed by her accomplishments, and more so by her remarkable humility concerning them. She was elegant and charming with an easy manner. I\u00a0understood immediately\u00a0why Kim loved her so. They were a match truly blessed by Heaven.<\/p>\n
In years past, visitors to The Kilns were enthralled by tours given by Kim and Kate. They both\u00a0delighted\u00a0in telling the\u00a0inspiring story of faith personified by Lewis and Joy Davidman. Every summer on the anniversary of her death, we paid a visit to Joy’s resting place at the Oxford Crematorium. After placing flowers, we would pause for prayer before the beautiful plaque commemorating the\u00a0vast and\u00a0inscrutable love\u00a0of a man for his bride.<\/p>\n
Her memorial epitaph, written by Lewis, is as follows:
\n“Here the whole world (stars, water, air,
\nAnd field, and forest, as they were
\nReflected in a single mind)
\nLike cast off clothes was left behind
\nIn ashes, yet with hopes that she,
\nRe-born from holy poverty,
\nIn lenten lands, hereafter may
\nResume them on her Easter Day.”<\/p>\n
We\u00a0find ourselves pausing\u00a0once again with great sadness.\u00a0Strengthened by Lewis’ words, we join\u00a0in\u00a0remembrance of the\u00a0deep\u00a0love between a\u00a0man\u00a0and\u00a0his wife.\u00a0In\u00a0Kim and\u00a0Jennifer’s\u00a0life together,\u00a0faithful to God’s plan for marriage, we see a reflection\u00a0of Christ, the eternal bridegroom, and His love for us.<\/p>\n
For now, our\u00a0hearts\u00a0ache for\u00a0Kim with\u00a0immeasurable sorrow. We cover him with our prayers and love. Yet, we do not mourn without hope.\u00a0With\u00a0our\u00a0faces wet with grief, we await\u00a0the\u00a0heavenly wedding feast where\u00a0tears are no more.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For those who know our friend and Kilns Trustee, Kim Gilnett, or who knew his dear wife, Jennifer, we regret to inform you that Jennifer Gilnett died Thursday, September 11, 2014, after a swift and severe illness. A memorial service will be held today in just a few minutes at 11 a.m. Pacific Time, at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,169],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-announcements","category-miscellaneous"],"yoast_head":"\n
In Memory of Jennifer Gilnett - Living the Legacy of C.S. Lewis<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/jennifer-gilnett\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In Memory of Jennifer Gilnett - Living the Legacy of C.S. Lewis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For those who know our friend and Kilns Trustee, Kim Gilnett, or who knew his dear wife, Jennifer, we regret to inform you that Jennifer Gilnett died Thursday, September 11, 2014, after a swift and severe illness. 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