CULTIVATING JOY: WHEN A PIECE OF THE JIGSAW IS MISSING

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

WHEN A PIECE OF THE JIGSAW IS MISSING

“Beloved the objects we look at are distant, and we are near-sighted.”
Charles Spurgeon

The saying goes "Death brings out the best and the worst in families."
We're all more or less the same, more than we think we are different. Life is fading for many of us.

Life stages, such as becoming an "adult orphan" will be something we will likely most of us be confronted with. With this in mind, in time we will all be faced with mortality.

The fact is, I don't think we ever get over a death. Yes, we may get through it, get used to it but not necessarily over it.

A piece of our life jigsaw has been removed. It will never fit in the same way.

Grief can do strange things to us. There is no rhyme or reason and at the most random times, a small thing will trigger memories. I still get tearful when I hear or sing "In Christ Alone" as that was sung at my son's memorial service.

With loved ones gone, the family dynamics shifts. Life lives on in our relationships or not with those left behind, with children or siblings. They say you do get to see people's true colors during these times.

Families are a link to our heritage.
I wish I could write a really inspiring, God honoring post of all the incredible ways I have seen "the best" played out.

Matt & Dad

Grief makes us all do crazy, sometimes lousy, things with poor choices that we often regret.

Memorial services have become where we say wonderful things about our loved ones. I'm going to be sad missing mine. Well not really because you all know where I will be, not caring. But it would be nice if we cared more about our loved ones before they go and get to know them better in the here and now instead of the then and when.