Dealing With Stuff

“Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven….”     Matthew 6:19-20

When I was a freshman in High School, our family home was destroyed by fire.  It was through this experience my view of possessions was established.  Possessions can be replaced, people cannot.  Relationships are the most important.  I also came to the understanding that the memories behind the possessions stay within your heart long after the material object is gone or destroyed.

After my mom died, my siblings and I had to deal with my parents’ home and all of their earthly possessions.  We found the objects that had sentimental value or monetary value and divided them between the five of us.  We each had memories even if we did not receive the possession.  I still have several items of my parents. 

When Dave died, I had a condo filled with his possessions and all the furniture we had purchased in our marriage.  The first thing I did was share his clothes with his son, daughter and family and then the rest were donated to a men’s recovery program.  Many of his collections of nick knacks have been distributed to family, church family and then donated to a church sale.  Dave enjoyed collecting a wide variety of stuff.  It had meaning to him and he enjoyed decorating our homes with Native American collections and flea market treasures.  They were important to him, but the memory of his enjoyment of them was enough for me.  Therefore, I shared the collections with others so that they could have a material reminder of Dave in their homes.

I moved to my hometown for 18 months and when I began to plan my next move, I donated most of my possessions – furniture, family treasures and kitchen stuff – to my siblings and my nieces and nephews. 
I wanted others to have possessions in their homes that reminded them of Dave and the life that we had shared together.  I wanted to travel light.

I moved the basics for me – bed, clothes, office desk, chair and wall hangings.  I still have several boxes of
memorabilia to sort through.  Possessions can possess and control us.  Things have a way of taking over and overwhelming us.  We own a lot of “stuff” throughout our lives.  Many of you have had to clean out the homes
of parents, grandparents, or your own home.  When we move, it is amazing how many boxes of stuff we never unpacked from the last move. 

I like to move – it is the best way for me to purge what I own.  I ask myself, “Have I used it since my last
move?”  “Is it necessary or useful?”  “Does it have sentimental value?”  I am learning to treasure possessions in my heart and not in my house.

I have moved again and all the memorabilia I thought I had to keep, I looked at and thought, “The memories are alive in my heart, and I don’t need to keep the actual physical object.”  The real treasure is the relationship of those who gave me the gift or who were a part of the event.  I have come to realize the memories in my heart and the love of relationships are so much more valuable than the actual possession.  Possessions
hold me back but the memories give me hope and challenge me to keep moving and growing and sharing.

The Adventure of Love

“We love because God first loved us.”             I John 4:19

What is love?  Oh, there are so many definitions, so many songs about love and so many people who feel unloved and wonder if love even exists.

What is love?  The first time I said “I love you” to my husband, Dave, he asked me this question.  I was taken back that he didn’t receive my love, but he did and wanted to know the depth of my heart.  The words were not just spoken in response but from the depth of my heart.

Love….it grows, matures and makes life beautiful.  Love also fades and withers due to lack of cultivating and growing.  I was blessed with a marriage that was centered not just on our love for one another but on the love of God for both of us.  We can only love because God first loved us.  God showed us what love is by sending his one and only Son into the world so we could have life through him.

“This is what real love is:  It is not our love for God; it is God’s love for us in sending his Son to be the way to take away our sins.”   I John 4:10

I believe love never ends; it just takes a different form.  The love I have for Dave, for my parents, my grandparents, and special people in my life stays within me.  It is my foundation of love and life.  Because I have been loved and have loved, I have the ability to love again.  I cannot create any more memories with those I have loved and are now in heaven, but their love continues to guide and direct my path in life.

I have walked this journey of grief over the loss of my husband, Dave, for four and a half years.  On this journey I have encountered many who are grieving and God has given me the ability to comfort them with the same
comfort He has given me.  I have tried many ways to live in this different life.  I have moved locations several times, given away most of my possessions, tried different opportunities, traveled, visited friends, officiated at
weddings, baptisms and funerals, and in each adventure, I have drawn closer to God.

I have served and given of myself and received blessings in abundance.  I am thankful for all the opportunities God has placed in my path that I would not have had if I had not experienced this deep grief.  I am NOT thankful Dave died, but I am thankful Dave is in heaven.  I am thankful for all the adventures God has given to me since Dave went to heaven.

I have missed though the love adventure and being a priority in someone’s life.  I have prayed daily for God’s will and if God had someone else for me to walk the path of life with, He would have to place them on my path.  I was not seeking or searching, but trusting in God to know what was best for my life.

  I have grieved more after death because of the short period of illness of Dave.  We have both loved and grieved.  Because we have a foundation of faith and love, we can build upon it and begin a new adventure in love.

God is at the center of my life and my relationship.  The love I have experienced in my life is still within me. 
It has molded me and because I have loved, I can love again and be filled with the love God created for a man and a woman to share.

The Leap With Fear

“Perfect love cast out all fear.”             I John 4:18

Fear is being afraid of the unknown, of what might happen.  Fear holds us back and keeps us from experiencing life and the adventures that are waiting just around the corner.

Grief enhances our fear.  When our loved one dies, especially if our loved one was our main support and main relationship, we experience fear in our loneliness.  “Who will I turn to?”  “Who will be there for me?”  “Who can I talk to?”  “Who can I trust?”  Fear can isolate at a time we really need people around us.

I watched a recent Hallmark movie where one of the main characters was afraid of heights.  She was told by the leading man, “Fear may not go away.  You may have to do it afraid.”  Fear tends to keep us from
experiencing the adventures of life.  Fear holds us back and whispers in our ear “It will be bad.”  Fear takes us to the worst case scenario – everything that could go wrong.  The reality is that it probably won’t but fear assures us something will go wrong or others will not approve.

Fear keeps us on the merry-go-round of life doing the same thing over and over again even when it is
not satisfying and we may even dread it.  But it is familiar and we stay and become complacent, bored, discontent but afraid to change.

Fear tells us that bad things will just keep happening to us and life will never be good.  Fear keeps us in our grief and sadness because we don’t know what life will be like without our loved one.  We are afraid to risk viewing life with a different lens because we have never done that before.  Fear tells us this is how life will always be from now on.

Fear is a liar.  Anxiety and worry feed our fear.  We are afraid of the future and worry about all that could happen.  The future seems too scary so we spend our time worrying about all that could happen and never live fully in the present.

Fear takes away also the assurance that we are loved and that even God loves us and is with us.  Perfect love – God’s love – takes away all fear, but only when we trust God.  Perfect love is God loving us each moment and being aware of His presence even in the difficult and painful moments of our lives.

As we walk the journey of grief and begin to contemplate a future, fear grips us as we look into this unknown life.  The voices of fear in our head tell us it will be too difficult and the loneliness is too overwhelming.  Fear holds on to the past because the future is just too risky and unknown.  I agree it is a risk and it is unknown, but
it is what we have.  Sometimes we just have to take a leap even when we are afraid knowing God is with us and is already in the future.

I have been taking leaps with fear throughout my life and my grief.  I accept that I will not know where I will always land, but I do know that God is already there when I land.  I may be afraid but I still take the leap.

Go Further

“We love because God first loved us.”                                           I John 4:19

This past week I spent time in Punta Gorda, Florida with dear friends, John and Marilyn.  It was a time of writing, reflection, running, praying and some time in the sunshine.  God gave me this time to prepare for the next chapter of my life.

Reflection is a time to be still and quiet before God and allow the Holy Spirit to penetrate deep within our soul.  In this time words are not necessary because God is speaking to our hearts and we respond with “sighs too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26)  Sighing to me is a depth of closeness to God when human words seem so shallow and not worthy of the closeness of God within us.

I have had so many moments of sighing and reflection on my grief journey and in my faith journey.  These moments have been the beginning of growth leading into the next journey of my life.

Punta Gorda was one of the last trips Dave and I took before his diagnosis in 2015.  It is where I have gone in my mind when I needed a good memory to bring me out of the depth of grief.  I remember a great day on our trip where we spent the day together – just the two of us – talking, walking, eating out and relaxing together.  God blessed us with this time of refreshment and relaxation to prepare us for the next eight months of illness, decline and separation by death.  This day sustained me in my grief.  When the sadness was overwhelming, I would retreat into this day and remember and smile that God had blessed us with these good moments together.

This past week I returned to the same area and ran the path around the Harbor and hotel where Dave and I stayed.  Last year I ran this path and God spoke to me as I ran.  The path had been extended.  God revealed that Dave and I were to walk the path of life together for a while.  Because of our time together and the growth
and strength I gained in our marriage; I could continue down the extended path without Dave.

As I ran this same path on Sunday, God spoke these words to my heart and soul – “It is OK to love again.”  I felt the words come from Dave through God’s Spirit as I ran beside the hotel where we had stayed.  I can no longer give more love to Dave.  He is in the presence of God who is love.  He can no longer give more to me,
but God is and will continue to give of His love.  This was a moment of intense emotion, a release and a closure.  God was releasing me of my intense grief and giving me permission to love again.  Dave will always be a part of me, and I will continue to remember, to have moments of sadness but also rejoice.  Dave is surrounded with love in heaven – a perfect and complete love.

Sunday, as I worshipped with my friends, in the sermon God spoke two distinct words to me – “Go Further.”  As I reflected on these words, I felt God saying to me – “Don’t stop living.  Go further.  Keep moving.  You have loved and will love again.  You are on the right path I have for you.  It’s different than others but it is what I have for you.  Don’t stop.  Go further.”

And that is what I am doing.  I am going further.  I am loving again.  I am listening to God’s Spirit. 

Listen.  Love.  Go Further.

The Humbleness of Grief

“Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will exalt you.” James 4:10

Humbleness is not a characteristic that is admired in our society today.  To be humble is to be reflective, to have a spirit of deference and submission.  It is being unpretentious and not proudful.  The world views humble as being meek and lowly and suggests weakness.  I disagree with this view.

To be humble is to allow God to be in control of our lives.  It is being dependent on God for everything and to recognize our need to walk beside God in the joys and sorrows of life.

In our grief, we try to be strong and sometimes our pride gets in the way of our healing and need for help.  We think we are supposed to handle the sorrow and pain alone, and don’t know how to ask for help and support.  We put on our public face when we walk out the door, trying to be brave and strong on our own.  This can exhaust us to the point of not wanting to go out of our safe zone and we can become more reclusive which turns our grief inward.  It is difficult in the early stages of our grief to even know how we feel let alone share these feelings and emotions with others.  So when someone asks how they can be of help or support, we don’t know what we really need.  Therefore, we respond that “we are fine” and thank them for the offer.

Our pride gets in the way.  We really want someone to walk with us and to cry with and to just be present with us, but we don’t want to ask.  We don’t want to bother anyone or be a bother to anyone.  Asking for help feels like a sign of weakness and a lack of faith.  We want to appear strong and capable of working through the grief on our own.  We may not want to even cry in front of others out of fear of being pitied or even worse told you should be over this by now.

The humbleness of grief comes when we admit how we feel and what we really need.  It is when we make the call to someone and ask for them to walk beside us.  It is when we answer truthfully to someone who asks how we are doing.  Humbleness is admitting we cannot walk this journey alone.  We really need others and we need God to hold us close and to carry us through the darkness of our grief and sadness.

As I have walked this journey of grief, I have matured in my grief knowing I don’t have all the answers nor am I an expert in understanding other people’s grief.  Grief can become unhealthy when we become almost prideful saying our grief is more intense than somebody else’s grief.  We believe what we have experienced is worse than what other people go through in their lifetime.  We can have a sense of being the victim all the time and we deserve to be miserable and others should always feel sorry for us.  This is not humbleness but a strange pridefulness that we stay stuck in our grief because it has become our identity.

I recognize my journey of grief has moved me down the path of life.  I am humbled to have been able to love and be loved and to share in life with others who have strengthened me and challenged me to grow and build on my foundation of life.  I am where I am because of their love and because of my grief for them.  Grief has matured me to see life differently and to prioritize what is really important in life.

Grief has also humbled me before God knowing I was not strong enough on my own to walk this path. God has carried me, held me close, allowed me to be angry and still loved me, and I have cried in God’s arms.  I needed God and need Him everyday whether I am grieving or laughing.  Through my grief, I fell to my knees and gave God my pride and cried in my weakness that I need you, God.  God accepted the cries and has brought healing and hope into my life.

Humble yourself in your grief and God will life you up and hold you close.

No Future In The Past

“Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above.”     Philippians 3:13-14

When I first read this Scripture, I disagreed with forgetting the past but as one studies these words of Paul, he
does not want us to forget who we were nor our foundation of faith.  We need to stop living only in the past.  We cannot add to the past nor change the past.  The memories of the past are events of the past that made a difference and impact in our lives.  Hopefully we have learned from them

We cannot look backward and still live in the present or move into the future.  In the beginning of our grief, we want time to stand still and we cannot imagine how to live in life without our loved one.  Life needs to slow down and give us time to reflect and catch our breath.  But as we know, time never does that.  It just keeps ticking and moving one tick of the clock at a time.

There comes a point in our path of grief that we begin to think about living again.  How do we live in this different life?  It is a life we did not choose but it is the life we currently have.  We want to live not just exist but living seems like a letting go of the past.

What I have come to understand is that the past is my foundation of life.  The past has taught me valuable lessons.  Some of these lessons have been through failures and very difficult circumstances, but I have grown stronger and more dependent upon God through this journey.  The past has revealed heartache and sadness but also the awareness that God is molding me and making me into who He created me to be.

So I am beginning to strain toward what is ahead.  I will never forget the love of relationships in my past.  They will always be a part of who I am, but I am reaching toward the goal of becoming all God has created me to be.  I want to hold God’s hand and leap into the future and find peace and joy again.

While the prize Paul refers to is Heaven as our ultimate goal, it is also the prize of living fully in the present and serving God faithfully each day.  Sometimes God calls us to grieve, too.  God wants us to express the emotions and feelings and release them into His care.  When we do not acknowledge these God given emotions, we are not being all God created us to be.  God wants us to experience every aspect of life and then walk with others on the journey – straining forward.  Life will never be the same, but it was not meant to be the same.  It was meant to be lived fully in the present.

I led a seminar this past week on grief.  A gentleman who attended was a retired pastor whose wife had died six years ago in the facility I was leading the seminar.  This gentleman comes every day to the facility and visits from room to room.  He said it has helped him to grieve and to comfort others with the same comfort God has given him.  He is not living in the past but finding meaning in his past to move him forward in serving and sharing and loving.  His visits bring hope and life into his own life.

I am grateful for my past and my relationships and all I have learned from the people and the experiences.  They have helped to shape me but do not define me totally.  There is more to come.  God is not done with
any of us yet as long as we still have breath in us.  Keep breathing, living and straining forward.  Yes, it is a strain at times – with hurt, pain and sadness, but keep trying and finding moments of living.  Those moments will come together and make a life.

Jesus Shows Up

“Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.  Those who believe in me will have life even if they die.”                                                                                              John 11:25

This past week, I shared the eulogy in the funeral of my dear friend, adopted brother and brother in Christ, John.  His cousin, Dennis, shared the message in the service.  He shared the scripture of Lazarus’ death and Jesus arriving to be with Mary and Martha.  Dennis used the phrase “Jesus showed up” throughout his message.  I have been pondering this phrase throughout this week.

Jesus showed up for Mary and Martha in their grief to bring comfort and to grieve with them – “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35) But what Jesus brought to them was also hope.  This world is not all there is and when life
ends here, Jesus will show up because he is the resurrection and life.  Jesus leads us to our new life.

As I mourned with John’s family who had adopted me into their lives, the loss of life was intense.  John was truly the rock of this family.  His laughter, love for life and his love for family gave meaning to everyone’s life. 
The hole in this family is huge.  The emptiness and pain of loss was felt in each moment.  But in the moments were also hope.  John was in heaven and we will see each other again.

I had the privilege of visiting with John over the past months. In one of our last visits, we talked about heaven.  I read to him the book The Next Place by Warren Hanson.  Hanson describes Heaven as just the next place we go after we leave this earth.  After I read the book to John, we talked about the people he would see in Heaven which brought a smile and peace to John.

I believe in Heaven and that when we breathe our last breath on earth the next breath Is in heaven.  This is the hope Jesus gives us.  Jesus shows up in death because he has conquered death and comes to lead us home.  Before John died, he reached out.  I believe John reached out and took the hand of Jesus.  Jesus showed up for John.

I believe Jesus shows up for us in our grief.  He walks beside us, cries with us and at times carries us when the burden is so heavy. Jesus shows up on the path of this different life and guides us down the path.  He understands our fears, our sadness and our desire to live in this different life.

Jesus has shown up in my life. He has been carrying me through my grief.  He cried with me.  He walks with
me on this different path of life.  As people I love take the journey to heaven, my hope and belief in heaven grows stronger.  I know they are being welcomed into heaven by those I love.  Jesus shows up in heaven to welcome them home.

Jesus shows up to give me hope and encouragement on this journey of life.  Jesus lives within me and also walks beside me guiding me to live and serve him.  Jesus keeps showing up and I am so thankful.  I cannot live this different life without him.

My Refuge and Strength

“God is our refuge and
strength, a very present help in trouble.”    
Psalm 46:1

Every time I read Psalm 46:1 since my husband, Dave, died, I add to the end of the verse – “a very present help in trouble and grief.”  God has been my refuge – my safe place – throughout my life.  I recognize the deep need in my grief to find a safe place – a place I can release my grief.  God is my refuge –where I run to in my grief not away from my grief.  God has been and will continue to be my constant companion on this journey.

Over the time since Dave has been gone, I have learned not to run away from my grief but to accept the feelings and emotions as a part of who I am now. God has used my own grief to help others.  I have found purpose and meaning in what I have gone through.

Sometimes in our grief, we need someone to blame for our loss, hurt and pain.  We may become angry at God for taking our loved one and causing our pain.  I have learned that God is a big God and understands our anger.  When we express our anger to God, we are still expressing our faith in God.  You cannot be angry at someone that does not exist.

As we step into a new year, God continues to be our refuge – our place of safety and also our strength.  We do not face one moment alone.  We walk into this different life knowing God gives us strength for each moment when we focus on His Presence.  The grief will overwhelm us at times.  We accept that we feel the intensity of our loss and therefore need to give ourselves permission to feel the pain and the sorrow.  Then we focus on God’s strength to hold us and take us through the moment.

I am not alone in 2020.  God is beside me.  I can step into other people’s lives and family units and experience the fellowship and love of other people.  Other times I will be alone with God.  I am never by myself.  Fear though creeps in telling me, “You are all alone.”  But fear is a liar.  While I don’t have my person – Dave –
physically with me, I have his love always in my heart.  God takes me by the hand reminding me I will never be alone.  God walks with me into this New Year and already has good adventures planned for me to do.

I am going to focus on the good and positive for 2020.  How about you?  Let us receive the words of encouragement, support, love and affirmation from others.  Absorb these good words into your soul where there is emptiness.  I’m going to pour all of this into my soul along with God’s Word, love and Presence. 
Let’s do this together.  Let’s let go of bad memories and celebrate the love and legacy of those who have come before us and are now in heaven.  We will still grieve, but we will also celebrate the gift of life

God is my safe place.  I am stepping into this New Year holding God’s hand and relying on God’s strength to carry me through the troubles and grief. 

Hope

“We know that these troubles produce patience.  And patience produces
character, and character produces hope.  And this hope will never disappoint us, because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts.”            Romans 5:3-5

As we close the door on 2019 and begin to put away the Christmas décor, our thoughts turn to a new year.  In our grief we may think it is too difficult to look forward to another year without our loved one.  The new year is filled with a different kind of hope.

Hope is what we look forward to.  We cannot see it or even at times believe that hope is still possible in our lives.  In our grief it is hard to believe that we will get through the deep hurt, struggle and the changes.  In our grief, we have a hope of a hope which comes from our faith.  Faith that was present within us before the grief.  When we are grounded in Jesus, we know hope is possible even in the midst of any struggle of life.   Faith and hope are more than a feeling.  It is believing even when we cannot see or feel it.

Hope is not Christmas magic or a fairy tale type of faith.  Hope does not mean that life will go back to normal.  There is no going back and no normal.  This is the life we each have now. We did not choose the grief and the life we have now, but it is what we have now.  Hope is not finding inner strength and pulling yourself up by yourself.  That is not possible to sustain for very long.

Hope is reaching out in the darkness.  The darkness of sadness, anger, hurt and loneliness.  But still reaching out knowing God is there somewhere in the darkness of our lives and God holds our hand.   God comforts us, sustains us, and sits beside us as we cry and grieve.

Hope is believing even in your sadness and loneliness that God loves you.  Jesus brings light into the darkness of grief.  Jesus does not take away the grief, but brings hope into our grief.  You will grieve the rest of your life for your loved one.  Where there is deep love, there is grief. 

The season of Christmas is a season of hope.  Jesus comes into the darkness of the world and lives to give us hope that this world is not all there is.  When our loved one dies and leaves this world, the coming of Jesus tells us this is not the end but the beginning of a new life in heaven.  The New Year is a time of hope.  How do I live in this new year and honor the life and legacy of my loved one?

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but
have eternal life.”                                John 3:16

 God loves you and me so much that He sent Jesus into the world to be born like us and experience life like we do.  Jesus was born for the purpose of dying for us and giving to us the gift of salvation and the forgiveness of sin.  Jesus conquered death and pain and sorrow and gives us the hope of heaven.

We will see our loved ones again.  That is the hope that is born at Christmas.  Death is not the end, but the beginning of eternal life.  As we prepare for a new year – 2020 – may we have hope.  Hope that you believe you are never alone.  Hope in this different life.  Hope that God is with you and opens new opportunities and places on your path and new friendships and new ways to serve.

Hope.

A Different Christmas

“But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.”                    Luke 2:19

On December 23rd when I was fourteen years old, our farm home was destroyed by fire.  It was Christmas Sunday, and my family was at worship celebrating with our church family the joy of Christmas.  I remember the details of that day from the time a neighbor came into the church to tell my dad our house was on fire until the evening going home with my sister and her husband not knowing where I would live.

The community rallied around our family providing food, clothing, Christmas gifts and shelter for my parents to stay on the farm to tend the animals.  Everything I had own for 14 years was gone with only pictures rescued by the firemen remaining of the memories of childhood.  Everyone in my family was safe and from that day my view of material possessions changed. 

It was a different Christmas that year.

In my second year as Associate Minister in Marysville, a winter storm on Christmas Eve closed travel on Christmas day.  I had enjoyed Christmas Eve with my church family and was looking forward to spending Christmas day with my mom and dad and extended family.  But travel was impossible.  It was going to be the first Christmas without celebrating with my parents and siblings.  I was invited to the Senior Minister’s home to share Christmas dinner and family time with them.  It was good to be with someone’s family, but it was not the same.

It was a different Christmas that year.

Christmas, 2015, was the first Christmas without Dave.  It was only 3 months after Dave had died, and I was still numb and just wanted to get through Christmas.  A friend helped me decorate the Christmas tree that was left by the previous condo owner.  The tree was on the sun porch.  It was decorated but I kept the curtain drawn to the tree and never looked at it again.  I had Christmas dinner with Dave’s children and grandchildren.  The emptiness of the time together was intense.  Dave was always the center of the family gathering. I had dinner with friends that evening, too. 

It was a different Christmas that year.

Christmas, 2017, I had moved to my hometown and was trying to start a new life.  I had gone back to the familiar people and location to heal and re-group.  I spent that Christmas with my sister’s family and one of my brother’s family.  I had dinner, conversation, presents and even sang Christmas carols.  I was in the moment and with family, but felt disconnected and different.

It was a different Christmas that year.

Now it is 2019, and I am in my second Christmas living beside the friends who invited me into their home the first Christmas after Dave died.  I have some decorations around my place.  My neighbor, Greg, put up lights outside.  Today, there is snow on the ground.  It looks like the Christmas season.  I have been in worship during this month of December and sang Christmas carols, and Christmas music is playing in the background as I write.  I have driven around the area at night and enjoyed the Christmas lights.  I drove by the homes where Dave and I lived, and the memories flooded my heart and mind.  I am so thankful for the memories but so sad no new memories will be made with Dave.

It is a different Christmas this year.

Different isn’t bad, it is just different.  In each different Christmas, I have learned lessons from God.  I have walked the journey to Bethlehem and know Christmas is not about how I celebrate it or even who I am with, Christmas is about Jesus.  It is about Jesus coming anew into my heart and life.  I recognize I am different because of each Christmas, but I am different also because of how I open my heart each Christmas to Jesus.  Jesus lives in my heart and is with me in each different.  So like Mary, I keep pondering in my heart each different Christmas and drawing closer to Jesus on this journey.

Loneliness of Christmas

“Have mercy on me because I
am lonely and hurting.”        Psalm 25:16

I love Christmas, always have and always will.  I love the true meaning of Christmas – God loved us so much that He sent His Son into the world to be born like us so that Jesus could be the perfect sacrifice for our sins.  Christmas means God comes to us in the darkness of our lives and brings the light of Jesus.

I love the traditional Christmas hymns – “Silent Night”, “Away In A Manger”, “O, Come All Ye Faithful”, “Joy To The World”, “Go Tell It On The Mountain” and so many more.  I have sung these Christmas hymns in every Church and Christmas caroling as a youth and with youth groups.  The songs tell the Christmas story of God’s love.  I remember every Christmas program in elementary school ended with the whole school singing “Let There Be Peace On Earth.”

I have enjoyed Advent, the lighting of the Advent wreath and the expectancy of the coming of Jesus.  Worship and fellowship with church family has been the center of Christmas all my life.  As a child, I loved Christmas Eve worship and Christmas Sunday celebrating with my extended church family.  As a pastor, I loved Christmas Eve and spending my whole day at church celebrating with church family.  When I worked for Hospice, I always volunteered to work Christmas and loved making calls on families and bringing hope in the midst of their darkness.

The loneliness of Christmas comes in the way society celebrates Christmas by leaving out Jesus and the expectations that come with the season that everything needs to be perfect – the perfect decorations, gifts, family and meal.  I have become aware of the loneliness that Christmas brings in my own grief. Some of the people who I enjoyed being with each Christmas are now in heaven.  I notice how people celebrate within their family unit and those who are alone because of loss by death or divorce or who are single are not invited into other family celebrations.  But the loneliness is most evident within the heart – what is deep within and rarely spoken aloud.

I love the Christmas lights, concerts, parties, decorations and baking, but grief makes us numb to the beauty and joy of traditions and celebrations.  It is not that we don’t enjoy the traditions. We just miss sharing them with those we love who made the moments so special.

As a child my Grandma, Mom and Dad were the people who made Christmas special and who I wanted to be with at Christmas.  As an adult, I still had my parents and we had our special moments just the three of us before the family celebration.  After they passed, I had my husband to share the moments I loved about Christmas.  After Dave died, I had my dear friend, Ruth, who claimed me as her granddaughter.  We shared Christmas moments together and were connected in heart and spirit.  This year, Ruth is celebrating Christmas in Heaven along with Dave, my parents, grandparents and a host of special family and friends.  This fills my heart with joy and hope for them.  My loneliness at Christmas is mingled with joy for my loved ones.  Sadness they are not here, but joy that they are celebrating with Jesus.

I still love Christmas.   I love the hymns, the lights, the decorations and the moments of hope, but I especially feel the loneliness without the people who made the moments so special. I want to celebrate and enjoy the Christmas season, but I want to share it with those who are no longer physically with me.  Yes, I still participate in many of the things I love in the season and find moments of joy, but the sadness is a part of me, too.  I have the desire to do much more but not alone.   I celebrate the coming of Jesus in the dark and lonely world of my heart.  Jesus is the light in my darkness. 

On that first Christmas night, Jesus came to bring light into the darkness of the world, and he still comes today to bring light in the dark loneliness of your heart.  Christmas is the story of God coming to those who are lost, hurt and alone.  May you open your heart to let Jesus come to bring you comfort and peace in your sadness and loneliness.

Hearing His Name

“She will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”                               Matthew 1:21

I am the youngest of five children.  As a child, my dad was notorious for calling the roll of names before naming the child he needed at the moment.  I learned to wait until my name was called before responding.

We like hearing our name spoken especially when it is spoken with love, in recognition and encouragement or called to come to dinner.  Your name signifies you have lived and are known by others.  In conversation, when a name is spoken, we have an image of the person and usually a memory connected to how we know the person.

In familial relationships, additional names are added to given names like Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Honey, and numerous nick names.  These names describe the relationship and the love that bind each one together.

When my parents died I no longer spoke the names “Mom and Dad”, but I began to share many Mom and Dad stories.  When I gather with my siblings, we share a lot of Mom and Dad stories and memories.  My heart is full of gratitude for their lives, love and foundation.

After my husband, Dave died, I missed not only his presence and our love and companionship, but I missed his name being spoken and people asking about him.  Some avoided mentioning his name.  I wanted people to speak his name and share memories.  I needed to hear his name and that he made a difference and would never be forgotten.

I also realized after Dave’s death, I not only missed hearing his name, but I missed the names of endearment he spoke to me.  I would never again hear those special names he called me or speak those names to him.  We give intimate and sometimes humorous names to those we love.  They connect our hearts in love.

Every morning I speak Dave’s name and say, “Good morning.”  Each evening I say, “Good night” with terms of endearment.  I miss hearing his response.  My heart though still hears them.

Hearing our loved one’s name brings a flood of memories.  As I sat in Marseilles United Methodist Church recently for a funeral, my mind was filled with names of people I remembered from childhood who were part of this three church circuit.  I remembered their smiles, words of encouragement, and their presence in my life.  Speaking their names made them real and valued.

In this Christmas season, the name of Jesus needs to be spoken as the true meaning of Christmas.  It is the birth of Jesus we celebrate, and his name is life changing. 

“God made Jesus’ name greater than every other name so that every knee will bow to the name of Jesus…And everyone will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and bring glory to God the Father.”  Philippians 2:9-11

Jesus’ name has power.  Jesus was born, lived, died and was resurrected and sits at the right hand of God in Heaven.  Speak the name of Jesus.  Saying Jesus’ name over and over calms my spirit when I am anxious.  It reminds me that Jesus loves me and will always be with me.

Our loved one was born, lived, died and now because of Jesus is in heaven.  Keep speaking the names of your loved ones.  They are still a part of your life.  Speak the names of those who lived and died and are now in heaven.  Their love and influence will always be a part of you.  When you hear their names spoken by others, memories of love will fill your heart.  You will give thanks that others remember because you will always remember them.

Holding Our Father's Hand

“So don’t worry, because I am with you.  Don’t be afraid, because I am your God.  I will make you strong and will help you; I will support you with my right hand that saves you.”  Isaiah 41:10

As a child, we take our dad’s or mom’s hand to cross the street or to walk in a store.  This slows us down and we long for the freedom to walk or run wherever we want to without holding someone’s hand.

As we grow into our teenage years, we desire independence and want to make our own decisions.  A parent’s job is to raise their children to be responsible and independent adults.  We embrace our freedom and believe we can do anything on our own.

Then life happens – tragedies, broken relationships, death.  We have no idea what to do or who to turn to.

In my own grief, I thought I could handle it on my own.  I worked.  I kept busy and plodded through each day.  I was independent and had walked with so many others on this journey of grief.  I knew what to do or so I thought.  I knew it in my head, but my heart was on an emotional roller coaster.  Through the death of my parents, our grandson and my dearest friend, I had my husband, Dave, to give me support and comfort in my grief.  But in Dave’s death my main support system was gone.  I needed to depend on someone who was grounded and never changing.  Someone bigger than myself.  I needed to hold my Heavenly Father’s hand.

I discovered the song by Josh Turner – “Me and God” – when my niece, Grace, downloaded it into my play list on my iPad.  Part of the words of the song are –

I am weak, and he is strong

Me and God.

He forgives me when I’m wrong

Me and God.

He’s the one I lean on

When life gets hard.

Me and God. 

On this journey of grief, my Heavenly Father is who I have depended on and whose hand I have reached out to hold keeping me in the present.  Being independent and determined to plow through it on my own, just doesn’t work in grief.  I have come to realize that maturing in the Christian faith means becoming more dependent on God.  When worry and anxiety enter, just reach out and take God’s hand.  God brings me into the moment with Him and I accept that I am His child and His hand holds onto me.

The only sustaining relationship in our lives is with our Heavenly Father.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God as Romans 8:39 tells us – “….nothing in the whole world will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Relationships are for chapters of our lives.  Brokenness, distance, death and changes happen in human relationships.  We feel the hurt, pain, and emptiness and long for life to be different or we desire what we perceive others have.  But this is our path and God sustains us, never leaves us, is always the same, loves us and holds our hand.

Take hold of your Heavenly Father’s hand today.  That’s what I am doing right now!

Attitude of Gratitude

“Always be joyful.  Pray continually, and give thanks whatever happens.  That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus.”             I Thessalonians 5:16-18

This week is Thanksgiving and many will share a meal with family and friends.  At some tables, there will be an empty chair in memory of a loved one.  Some families will share memories and words of thanksgiving for their loved one.  The meal will be different than other years because of the empty chair.

The Thanksgiving meal has many traditional foods and memories of whom in the family prepared a certain dish each year.  Memories are as plentiful as the food.  My Aunt Esta always made minced meat pie for my dad.  It is one pie that will never touch my lips!! 

For some, the day is long and lonely because of the loss of family and friends.  For others, the loneliness involves the distance of family whether in miles or emotions.  Others will serve those in need today or share a meal with extended church family and friends.  Still others will spend the day alone with their memories, pain, and loneliness.

Memories flood my mind of past Thanksgiving meals.  As a child, I spent the day with my parents, siblings, aunt and uncle and cousins.  Lots of food and conversation.  It seemed like we ate all afternoon and then had to drive home and care for all the farm animals.  As an adult, I have shared the meal with a variety of church family and friends.  Many times, my husband, Dave and I ate with the Ricket family on Thanksgiving Day and then had a family meal with his children and grandchildren on another day of the week.

Traditions are part of our lives but when there has been a death, we re-evaluate traditions.  Some stay and some are so connected to our loved ones that they die with them.  It becomes too difficult to continue because the tradition was who our loved one was.

The one constant with Thanksgiving is being thankful.  We are blessed in so many ways.  I remember a song from Sunday School – “Count Your Blessings.”  Some of the words were – “Count your blessings, name them one by one.  Count your many blessings and see what the Lord has done.”

When we grieve and feel the emptiness from loss, it is difficult to see the blessings of life and be thankful.  As I have walked this journey of grief, I have begun to give thanks for the life of my husband, Dave.  I am grateful God brought us together and we walked the path of life and love together.  I am stronger and farther down the path because of our marriage and life together.  I give thanks for my parents, my Grandma, other family and friends who have died and are now in Heaven.  I am grateful they lived and that they loved me and I loved them.  I appreciate the impact they made on my life and what I learned from them and the foundation of faith given to me.

My Grandma, Ruth Clinger, had an attitude of gratitude.  She was thankful even for her aches and pains of life she said because at least she had the ability to feel them.  At age 95, she was thankful to move into a nursing home because God had given her a new gift, to minister to the “old” people in the home.

The “Clinger Clan” will gather to celebrate a meal this week, and we will remember our Grandparents and Parents who are not physically with us.  But they are the foundation of our family and faith.  We will pray and thank God for their lives, influence and be grateful they lived.

Gratitude is not based on how good our situation is but on finding the blessings in the situation.  We may not be able to change our situation, but we can change our attitude toward it.  Look for good moments in each day and on the journey of grief.  Find simple pleasures and be grateful for these little things. Speak your thanksgiving aloud.  It will help you recognize it.

Be grateful for tears.  God created the tears to express our emotions.  Tears are a cleansing of the soul.  Be grateful for the emotions that can be released.  Be grateful for the gift of love.  We grieve because we have loved.  Be thankful even when you don’t feel like it.

Today, I am thankful for the cardinal that comes and sits on a tree branch outside my window.  It reminds me of my husband, Dave.  He is with me and his spirit of love will never leave me.  It is a blessing from God.  I am thankful for God’s presence and comfort in my life.  God walks with me and sometimes carries me on this journey of grief. 

God will give you peace in the midst of the grief and walk beside you.  Just hold God’s hand and say “Thank you.”

Cloud of Witnesses

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses….”   Hebrews 12:1

This past week, a dear relative who was part of my foundation of faith went to heaven and joined the great cloud of witnesses.  In the past months, I had visited Jane whenever I was in my hometown.  In one of my last visits with her, Jane and I talked about those we knew who were in heaven.  We shared memories of those people who had made an impact and imprint upon our lives.  Jane’s face radiated as she began to name the people she would soon see again.

As a believer, Jesus promises the disciples and us that he goes to prepare a place for us – “In my Father’s house are many rooms….I am going to prepare a place for you.”  John 14:2 (RSV)  We have a room in Heaven waiting for us.  Those whom I have loved and who have died in the faith already have received their room in Heaven.

This gives me hope and encouragement when a loved one dies; they cross over from this life into the next – into Heaven.  They see Jesus face to face and are healed and made perfect.  Heaven has no pain, suffering or sorrow.

The cloud of witnesses embraces those who have died and now enter Heaven. What a great reunion that will be.  This gives me hope.  I will again see my loved ones someday – my husband, my parents, grandparents, friends, family, and all those loved by God.  I will be welcomed into Heaven.

For now, though, I am surrounded by a cloud of witnesses.  To me this means the spirit and the imprint of the faith of those who made a difference in my life is always surrounding me.  Their lives have been a witness to me and have helped me grow in my faith and into the person God is creating me to be.

When I begin to long for those I love, I start naming people I know in Heaven.  Wow, there are a lot of wonderful people I love in Heaven.  I miss them and my heart aches for them, but I also rejoice that God put them on my path of life.  They made a difference and showed me Jesus in the way they lived and loved.

Some days, I just look up and sense the spiritual presence of people in Heaven.  Especially when I am in my home church or churches I have served as pastor, I look up and remember those who came before me and blazed a path of love and service.

So in these past weeks as I have prayed for Jane, I have recognized the cloud of witnesses that have surrounded her and were waiting for her when she crossed over into Heaven.  Today, I rejoice that Jane has joined the cloud of witnesses and her spirit of love and encouragement surrounds me.

In our grief and as we miss our loved ones, be aware of their presence around us.  Their love is a witness and their presence within our heart and spirit will never leave us.  I trust in the promises of Jesus.  There is a place for me and for you.  Our loved ones are with Jesus and surround us with love, encouragement and hope.

Surviving The Holidays

“This is how God showed his love to us: He sent his one and only Son into the world so that we could have life through him.”             I John 4:9 (NCV) 

The Christmas Hallmark and Lifetime movies have begun - the perfect Christmas where love always wins in the end and the movie ends with a kiss.  We watch and remember the love we have had or the hope for this kind of love in our lives.  Yes, it is a movie, but some of us had that kind of Hallmark love and now we have a hole in our hearts where once was the sharing of life with the love of our lives.

Now the holidays approach again.  How do we survive again?  The holidays are filled with memories of past celebrations, traditions and people.  We remember our childhood and holidays spent with parents, grandparents and extended family.  Growing up, my dad created the tradition where we cut and stacked wood for our wood burning stoves before we could open our Christmas gifts.  My siblings and I talk about this memory every year.  I remember my Grandma’s silver Christmas tree with the rotating lights underneath.  I remember baking lots of cookies.  I remember my mom sewing an outfit for each of us and sometimes when we opened the gift it was only the material and pattern.  My mom did not have time to finish the gift but gave us what she was planning on making.

Memories are good, and memories are also painful.  We may feel lonelier each Christmas because of the absence of our loved one who made Christmas so special.  We may try to re-create the “perfect” Christmas, but it never turns out the way we had hoped because of the emptiness of not have our loved one with us to celebrate.

No matter how long a loved one has been gone, the holidays – especially Thanksgiving and Christmas – bring a flood of emotions, grief and tears.  Allow yourselves to be sad, to cry, and go through periods of grief.  You may cry as you bake cookies using your mom’s recipe or hang an ornament on the tree given to you from your husband.  Cherish the memories.  Memories are a gift.  You cannot recreate them, but you can accept them as part of who you are and what makes the season so special.

Loneliness may be overwhelming through the holidays as you long for loved ones and feel their absence more intensely.  Isolation may feel easier – just be alone and get through the holidays.  But isolation creates more negativity as you listen to the negative chatter in your head.  Find a balance – time with family and friends and time to reflect and be alone.

Focus on the true meaning of why we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas.  At Thanksgiving reflect on your blessings and remember the lives of your loved ones.  Name the people who have been in your life and the difference they made in your life.  Give thanks.  It’s OK to cry and to celebrate at the same time.  You are thankful they lived but sad they are not with you physically to celebrate.  Remember, their love and spirit remains in your heart forever.

Christmas reminds us that God loves us so much that He sent his son into this world.  Jesus was born like you and me so that we could relate to him.  He was born to give us the gift of love, hope and life.

I believe surviving the holidays is not just about surviving because of the death of our loved one.  It is also surviving what society has made the holidays to be.  Maybe this Thanksgiving we can focus on being grateful and thankful for the blessings of life and to share our blessings with those less fortunate.  Maybe this Christmas, we can focus on Jesus and not on shopping and the busyness of the season.  We can remember God loves us so much He sent his Son to be born so that He could show us how to live and to die for our sins giving us the gift of grace.

As we mourn the loss of our loved ones this holiday season, may we know that the One who loves us most understands our grief, pain and loss.  Jesus walks beside us.

Closeness In Death

“Love never ends.”   I Corinthians 13:8

As I reflect on those I have loved and are now in Heaven, I feel a part of them within me.  The love I have for them never ends as First Corinthians 13:8 tells us – “Love never ends.”  Since our loved ones are with God and God is with us, and God is love, their love is with us, too.

Before Jesus’ crucifixion, he was talking with his disciples that he must go away in order for the Holy Spirit to come.  If he does not go away, the Spirit cannot come.  This did not make sense to the disciples at this time because they did not want Jesus to leave them.  But Jesus died, was resurrected and ascended to Heaven.  Then at Pentecost, the disciples understood when they received the power of the Holy Spirit within them.  Jesus was now closer to them than he had ever been because His Spirit was living in them.

“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit….”              Acts 2:4

Jesus did not want to leave the disciples alone nor does he want us to be alone.  The disciples were his family on earth.  Jesus went to be with His Father and leaves the Holy Spirit, his Spirit, as family.  Jesus did not want to leave the disciples as orphans (John 14:18) and gives his Spirit to assure them that he is with them and will never leave them.

Henri Nouwen in his book, The Greatest Gift, A Meditation of Dying and Caring goes into detail about this concept.  Nouwen says that Jesus, when he left this earth, gave his Holy Spirit to be with us.  Therefore, so too do those who have the Holy Spirit in them leave that spirit with us.  The spirit of our loved one which contains their faith and the essence of who they were on earth, remains within us and sustains us.  The Holy Spirit is often referred to as Sustainer.  Our loved ones sustain us in their love forever. 

I have begun to recognize sacred moments in my grief when I feel so very close to my husband, Dave.  It is a closeness deep within me.  I cannot explain it in words because it is a feeling deep inside that I am connected at a specific moment with him.  It gives me comfort and peace, and sustains me in that moment.  It is beyond space and time.

I feel connected to Dave in a deeper level since his death.  It is a new bond that is strengthened by the Spirit of our love.  The Spirit of God that was within Dave continues in me because love is stronger than death.

My husband, Dave, continues to influence my life even though he is in heaven. What I learned from him and his life continues to bear fruit in me.  I am aware that before I make a decision, I ask myself, “What would Dave want me to do?”

Find comfort in the assurance that “love never ends.”  The love just takes a different form within us and remains.  The love sustains us and continues to be a part of our daily lives and the foundation of our lives.  Recognize the presence of those you have loved remains in your heart and sustains you through the joys, sorrows and trials of life.

Sighing

“…they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

                                                                                                Isaiah35:10b (NRSV)

“…and the Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.”                       

                                                                                                Romans 8:26 (NRSV)

Let’s all sigh together – 1….2….3….. sigh……………………………………………..

I have found myself sighing so much more in my grief and in this different life.  It has been hard to put into words all the emotions and to name what is going on in my head and heart.  So I sigh.  Some of the sighing is now part of the acceptance that life is what it is and I can’t change it.

My dog, Annie, sighs too.  She sleeps in bed with me, and when she finally settles down for the night she curls up beside me and lets out a deep sigh.  It is her way of saying, “I’m done for the day and going to sleep now.”  When I hear Annie’s sigh, I know I can finally go to sleep, too.

I sit more and just “be”, just be quiet in my mind.  Just be in the present moment.  Sometimes I am not thinking about anything in particular and just have a feeling of emptiness sweep over me, and then I sigh.  I reach out and take my Heavenly Father’s hand and sigh.  God’s Spirit speaks for me in those sighs.  No words need to be spoken.

Sadness and sighing go together. The longing for what once was brings the sighing.  When I want to share a special moment of life with Dave and anticipate his reaction, and then I remember he is not here, I sigh.  I still share it with him but it is not the same.  The sadness and loneliness makes me sigh.

Sighing is a physical reaction to grief.  We recognize life is not what we anticipated it to be, but it is what it is.  Sighing is the physical way of releasing the emotions that build up inside of us in our grief.  It is the awareness that we are feeling the pain and hurt of grief but do not want to talk it out or even attempt to put words to the emotions, so we sigh. 

Sighing is a gift from God.  The Bible records many times that Jesus sighed.  He sighed when the religious leaders asked for a miracle. (Mark 8:12)  He sighed before healing a deaf man.  (Mark 7:34)  He sighed when the disciples didn’t understand about the bread. (Matthew 16:11)  Jesus sighed when those around him did not understand.  It was a sigh of compassion and awareness that the works of heaven cannot be explained fully on earth.

I also sigh in acceptance that this is now the life I have.  I sigh in my prayers, too.  I have so much in my heart that I want to share with God but no words will come.  I sigh knowing God’s Spirit is speaking for me.  The Spirit is deep within me listening to my soul.  It is in these moments, I again reach out and take God’s hand and hold on.  And in this moment, I know God hears my sighing and understands.

Sighing is a necessary part of our grieving process.  Our grief can never be fully expressed in words.  Only heaven understands the depth of hurt and pain and sorrow that are deep within our hearts.  There are no words in the moments of deep grief, only sighing.  Sighing creates a language of the heart that only God understands and can bring comfort and peace.

Keep sighing……

7-3-3

“Jesus said, “I shall be with you a little longer, and then I go to him who sent me…”

                                                                                                John 7:33

My husband, Dave, served on the Ohio State Highway Patrol for 31 years and retired as a Major.  His unit number was 733.  Ask most retired Ohio State Troopers who 733 is and they will know it is Retired Major D.D. Sturtz.  It was more than a number.  It represents the legend and the legacy of a man who made a difference and cared about his fellow troopers and served faithfully the citizens of Ohio.

It is amazing how many times I glance at the time and it is 733.  Twice a day, the clock reminds me of Dave, and I smile knowing Dave is forever with me.

One day, I decided to check out what Bible verses were Chapter 7 and verse 33.  I found a few but the one in the Gospel of John spoke to my grief.  Jesus told his disciples he would be with them a little longer and then he was going back to his Father in Heaven.

Dave and I were brought together by God to walk the path of life for twenty-five and a half years.  In the last month of Dave’s life, we had to accept Dave would be on earth just a little while longer and he was going to the One who love him and who Dave loved – our Heavenly Father.

God gave Dave two glimpses of Heaven during his illness and in the last week of his life, he slipped into a coma like state and went to Heaven.  He returned to tell us about it.  Dave asked, “When do I get to go back?”  He saw a glimpse of Heaven and wanted to return.  Jesus had been in Heaven and came to earth, and was preparing to return to Heaven.  His disciples didn’t understand and were in the midst of grief.  I can relate to the disciples.  I have not seen Heaven like Jesus and Dave had, but trust that Heaven was as beautiful as it had been revealed to Dave.

Another 7:33 Scripture is from the book of Acts –

“The Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground’.”

                        Acts 7:33

This is in the speech given by Stephen who quoted from the Old Testament in Exodus when God spoke to Moses.  This reminds me of Dave’s deep faith and respect for God.  That’s how he lived his life.  It also describes the respect and admiration many on the Ohio State Highway Patrol had for Dave.  Many Troopers told me they would have followed Dave anywhere.  They believed in him and what he stood for knowing he would not lead them down a wrong path.

It is amazing to take three numbers, 733, Dave’s unit number, and apply them to the Bible and allow God to speak through the numbers to describe Dave’s life and legacy.

God uses many ways to reveal Himself and His love to us.  In our grief, it is also amazing what reminds us of our loved ones.  Be open to the ways God reveals Himself to you and how your loved one comes to you.  Smile and remember.  Allow yourself to be in the moment and feel the love and be comforted in knowing how close your loved one is to you in that moment.

Tribute to My Mom

“If you go the wrong way – to the right or to the left – you will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the right way. You should go this way.”                        Isaiah 30:21

I grew up on a farm as the youngest of five children.  My parents were hard working with strong morals and values and deep Christian faith.  My mom was my first Sunday School teacher and then taught me again when I was in Jr. High.  I witnessed my parents share daily in devotions together and my mom studying her Bible.  We prayed at every meal, listened to Christian records and attended Gospel Concerts on a regular basis.  Attending worship was a natural part of every Sunday.

While my Grandma Clinger influenced my life, prayed for me daily, and guided me in God’s calling on my life, I have come to the realization the deep impact and imprint my mom has made on my life and my Christian faith.  I continue to learn from her daily even though today, October 14th, is the Anniversary of her death and going to heaven thirteen years ago – October 14, 2006.

I remember the details of that day vividly, watching her take the journey to heaven.  We gathered as a family in her room in the Nursing facility sharing stories and memories, laughing and crying together.  Our mom gave us life and was the glue that held our family together, and we were feeling the turmoil of letting go and wanting to hold on at the same time.

The eight Sundays prior to my mom’s passing, my husband, Dave and I spent the day with my mom in this nursing facility.  Her breast cancer had returned in her bones and treatment was no longer effective.  My mom was positive and remained strong in her faith during this time ministering to each person who walked through her door.  In these Sunday moments, my mom and I worshipped, prayed, shared scriptures, and deep conversation.  I would push her in the wheelchair outside in God’s creation and the holy moments in nature warmed my heart and drew me closer to our Heavenly Father through my mom’s spirit.

One of the last Scriptures we shared together and discussed was Isaiah 30:21.  In my Bible, I have the word “mom” written beside this verse.  I believe this verse was a gift from God and the way my mom continues to be a guide and influence in my life.  When I am at a crossroad in my life and wonder which way to go, I think of my mom and ask God to direct my path.  I have this foundation of faith because of my mom.

As I said, I am the youngest of five children.  Our mom loved each of us deeply but differently.  My oldest brother, Edwin, was the first child who gave her life purpose and meaning as a mom and the title.  This bond was pure and strong lasting a lifetime.  The second child, my brother, David, became the son who had the natural ability of farming and who later in life moved onto the farm becoming the one who was next door to help my parents and then support my mom after my dad died.  The third child, my sister, Carolyn, the first girl, gave my mom a daughter to share her love for sewing and creating.  The fourth child, my brother, Bruce, was raised in the garden and came to love the garden like my mom.  Then I was born.  I was “daddy’s little girl” who was always “volunteered” by my siblings to go with my dad because he never wanted to do anything alone.

As my siblings grew and became adults and started their own lives away from the farm, my mom and I spent more time together.  She encouraged me to pursue my dream of college.  I came to understand, I was also living the dream my mom had for herself.  She never had the opportunity to further her education and therefore, was excited to follow each step of where God was calling me in my life.

Through my ministry, my parents visited me wherever I served.  My mom and I shared the Walk to Emmaus – a spiritual renewal weekend – together with me as her Spiritual Director.  My mom has always been and will continue to be my spiritual director.  In countless conversations whether in person or on the phone, we discussed Scriptures, spiritual ideas and God’s direction and calling on my life.  My mom was a prayer warrior and a Bible scholar.  In any Bible study she participated, pastors and leaders would defer to her for understanding of Scriptures.

I miss my mom every day.  I still have the urge to call her and ask how to do something.  She was Google before Google was invented.  When God gives me a Scripture insight, I want to call and share it with her.  I talk with her each day and know she is still with me in my heart.

Today, I remember with love my mom.  I am sad she is not physically present with me, but she remains in my heart forever.  I grieve her loss, but celebrate that she lived.  I am thankful for her life, her impact and imprint on my life.

Anniversary dates are a time to reflect and remember.  We may cry because our loved one is not present, but we rejoice that they lived and made a difference in our lives.  I am a better person because my mom lived and was my mom.  I give thanks for her life.