My Story of Loss

I lost my grandmother in September so I have felt loss recently. I have chosen to help others through their losses so we can grieve together. God has helped me through it although I am still mourning. Loss hurts and when its someone you love dearly then the pain is very real.

Even people who have family members who are sick have struggles to go through and my grandmother’s Alzheimer’s impacted me and helped make me more sensitive to the plight of others.

My grandmother is not the first person I have lost in my life but she is the one person I have felt the most grief over because she had a serious impact on my life. Death is something we all face but we have a choice to make the best of it or just let our struggles impair us from having some joy through it all.

So in the light of the loss I encourage people to talk about it, blog about it, share their stories. We owe it to one another to be there. It connects us as a human family.

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Mindful of The Season

As I am going though this season without my grandmom many others are going through it without family members and loved ones for one reason or another. Some have passed on while others have grown apart. I wish you all grace and comfort, we are in this together. God bless us all.

Life is about timing. And timing is everything in love and loss.

From a Hallmark Channel movie, “A Very Merry Mix-up”

Waiting

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers once sang “The Waiting Is The Hardest Part”….there is great wisdom in that. Having patience in anything can test ones well patience. In waiting you don’t know what is going to happen, when its going to happen. Some things you know will happen can take their time in taking place. The one thing in my life right now I am not looking forward to leaves me with life up in the air a bit. Friends this one thing I wish would never happen but it’s a part of life. There is a beginning and end in everyone’s story and there’s a lot of waiting in between. The waiting is indeed the hardest part.

Blessed Be Those Who Mourn, God Is Doing The Same.

There is temptation to blame God for what we have seen today. God has done none of this. Men made bad decisions that led to the deaths of hundreds of people. God is going to be there in the aftermath, in the people who will help comfort, console and those who will seek peace in the chaos. Granted some will have a test of faith and that is understandable. To those who believe be sure to pray, to those who don’t offer good vibes in the universe. Now is the time for people to come together as a human family.

In A Time Of Loss

Today I am going to a funeral for my pastor’s father. Pete White lived a great life and raised a great family. He was suffering for a long time with cancer so his passing means he is no longer in pain. It sucks that sometimes people we love have to pass on to get relief from the intense pain they live with.

As someone grieves its hard to know what to say. Those who are left behind just want someone to listen. Asking how are they doing has always seemed to be a tricky question, however its not always obvious. The relief some feel after a loved one passes can free them from the worry but the memories remain of better times they will never have again.

Being honest with ones feelings can be hard after a loss. There are a ton of emotions and figuring out how to deal with them takes time. In my experience I just being there to be sympathetic or empathetic does a lot for those mourning. Life does go on, eventually life returns to normal. Living your life is the best way to honor those who have passed. You carry a little part of them everywhere you go.

Some Tuesday Thoughts

Friends, cherish the time you have with the people in your life. You never know when it all will change. A friend of mine lost his mom sometime this morning after a long bout with cancer. Last week Pat, a lady from church passed away. I have family members who are not doing well. This sort of thing happens to everyone. No one gets a pass on suffering and loss.

Sorry to bring things down a bit but this is just a reality we will all face at sometime in our lives. You can prepare but you can never be fully ready. All I can say is that God have mercy and extend your blessings to all the people of the world.

Love is an amazing thing. When it becomes your life it makes things better.

There might be things more terrible even than losing someone you love by death.

C.S. Lewis

Grieving Online

Grieving is a highly personal thing. It shouldn’t be cliche. High sensitivity should be exercised when comforting a person or a family who are in mourning. So how do we share our grief online?

My personal experience is that I have written plenty of posts about people and pets who have died. Its important to have an outlet for your grief and blogging is an appropriate place to do it. There is a community of people who have gone through the loss of important people and things in life. Sharing our experiences with important people in all forms of media can keep your loved ones alive in heart and mind.

Tragedy is a part of life.

People have seasons of life, a time to be born and a time to die. I think that sharing those seasons from the time of birth through death helps reveal the best and sometimes worst about who we are. But its that grief that makes us human and the fact that blogger’s have a way to share it can be a comfort to everyone that we are not alone. No one has to go through life changing events without the care of people. No one should go it alone. 

I will lift up my eyes to the hills – from where comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.

 Psalms 121:1-3