Dear Grief,
You have kept me company since I received the news that my dad had been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. When someone tells you they have a terminal illness you start to prepare yourself for their passing, or so you think. You grieve for them throughout their battle and try to be strong for them. You grieve again when they lose that battle but are comforted by the knowledge that they are in a better place where they are no longer in pain. As we are struggling through the pain of loss we must remember He is with us. We can turn to His words for comfort. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.- Psalm 147:3
I received the call on Christmas Day last year to tell me my dad had passed away that morning. He lost his battle with cancer and it was eating away at me that I wasn't able to be there. I am forever grateful to my cousins and aunts and other family and friends who were able to be there with him in the end when I could not be. I am extremely grateful that I was able to see him at Thanksgiving just a few short weeks before. I flew up to Nashville with the generosity of a friend and her husband. They used their frequent flyer miles to purchase me a plane ticket to visit him.
Today, almost a year later, your presence is still with me and will remain with me. You creep in with sadness, but there is happiness as well.... happiness found in the memories of the moments my dad and I spent together.
I invite you in because I know that in order to heal I must accept you and know that God will continue to be there to comfort me.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. - Matthew 5:4
Sincerely,
Casey
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