When someone you love passes from this life into eternity, everything shifts. None of us expected this path, yet here we are, finding ways to walk in faith even through deep loss. In this valley, I’ve realized something both heartbreaking and beautiful: the sisterhood of widowhood.
When the noise of this world distracts and depresses us, the words “whatever happens” call us back to the foundation of our faith. Grief is real, but so is God’s nearness. Sorrow comes, but so does His peace.
Grief's Ever Present Shadow: Reflections on the Loss of a Leader and Loved Ones As I watched the flag-draped coffin of President Jimmy Carter being carried away, a wave of emotion hit me. Though the setting was vastly different from my own, I was transported back to a...
Twenty years ago, life as I knew it forever changed when my husband underwent emergency brain surgery for a Glioblastoma Multiforme Stage IV brain tumor. This unexpected turn of events threw our family into a journey marked by profound challenges, intense emotions,...
My husband has been gone for several years, yet at times, grief washes over me like the ocean’s waves – especially when I see a couple strolling in the park or entering the theater hand-in-hand. These scenes are certain reminders that my cherished memories remain, but...
Recently, a dear friend died—very suddenly, completely unexpectedly. Only days before, we had rambled through her flower beds, rich in lush color, while we enjoyed the sounds of life on her farm – birds chirping, horses running, donkeys braying, tractors chugging,...
Five years ago, the woman who brought me into the world left this world. Five years ago, our last words were, “Love you, Mom.” “Love you too, Jackie. Keep your prayer life up.” Mom always—always—always ended our conversations with those words, “Keep your prayer life...
Music is a universal language. When words fail, music speaks, as I have learned repeatedly. Once vibrant and deliberate in her demeanor and actions, the frail woman lay still on the bed that seemed to swallow her up. Her eyes were closed. I paused at the doorway and...
I’m a fixer. I take care of people, places, and things. Just give me a list of what needs to be done, and it’s DONE. Ask me to organize a woman’s tea reception, coordinate and facilitate a training program for a crowd, serve as room mother, bake dozens of cookies for...
I’ve learned that we never get over grief. It becomes a traveling companion as we proceed through our lives. We discover that despite our losses, life does go on. And one day, when we hear the name of that special someone, and we smile instead of cry, we know we have...