Psalm 30:3 “You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death.“
Good morning, my dear brother. How is your day going? My youngest brother has just lost his wife to cancer. It was a journey of two years where we surrounded them with prayer and support. They had been together since seventh grade. A junior high school crush that turned into a love story that lasted 45 years. I realized very quickly that this was one of those deep grieving days. I remember those days. Tears that don’t stop and a guttural sound I had never heard before. The cost of love lost affects every part of our being. To try and tell him it won’t hurt like this forever are words he cannot understand. When we have lost someone in our everyday lives, we can’t imagine our lives without them. I remember waking up a month after my daughter died with that deep pain that became my morning sickness. How can I live the rest of my life in this much pain? I couldn’t see how I could live in this place forever.
Reaching out to others through Umbrella Ministries, I found the pathway to healing. Work was to be done, so I surrounded myself with other moms who had walked this journey. They pointed me to the only One who could mend my broken heart. In Psalm 30, David cries, "Oh Lord my God, I cried to You for help, and You restored my health. You brought me up from the grave, O Lord, and kept me from falling into the pit of death."
The pain of loss is real, and it hurts so bad. Yet without that pain, we would have missed out on knowing and loving these wonderful human beings. I, for one, would not give up my seventeen years with my daughter. I am sure my brother would feel the same. One day, his pain will lessen. The mourning clothes will slowly slip away, and he will find his footing. He will thank the Lord for his beautiful Pammy.
Lord, I thank You for our love for those we have said goodbye to. We know we will be with them forever, and no words describe how wonderful that will be. May I always remember the cost You paid.
– Michele
