It would be far more than an understatement to say that during her lifetime Jane Coates travelled far and wide. As the map above shows Jane, who at the age of 74 so sadly died last April, there wasn’t much of the world that either on mission, on business or on holiday hadn’t been touched by what son John calls mums “humanity, humility, her listening skills or her presence.”
The map itself which features in Jane’s second book More Encounters and Journeys was lovingly created by Laura and Lucy, and in pin-pointing places as far apart as China and Chile serves as a permanant reminder of a life well lived.
That Jane’s book is available so soon after her death isn’t good fortune. No, as Phil explains in its introduction that was what Jane was like. Everything was ready, the posts were complete, yet his wife of almost 54 years who, in hospital and just hours away from death was still insisting that he emailed out what was to prove to be her final Thoughts and Prayers.
For those of you unfamiliar with Monday Thoughts and Prayers, they were as the name suggests a collection of engaging and inspiring articles, always posted on a Monday, often based on personal experience but always underscored by the Word of God.
This second book, which incidently was officially published on what would have been Jane’s seventy fifth birthday is now available from Moortown Baptist Church. It doesn’t have a price tag, if you want a copy please help yourself. That said, if anyone would like to make a donation rest assured it will, in memory and honour of both Jane and Jane and Phil’s daughter Charlotte who before her death in 2014 had worked at the hospice be sent on to Wheatfields.