I wanted to take a second to share an update. Life has been super crazy lately. Not necessarily busy, but emotional and lots of life changes. In the last two months I’ve lost 2 very important people in my life.
My grandmother died at the end of May. If you know me or have followed me for any length of time, then you know how dear my grandma was to me. We shared a birthday. Her death was hard on me because she got sick suddenly and died a few days later. Not having enough time with her after she got sick was hard. I am still processing the loss.
This year was the first year that I celebrated my birthday without her. I miss her so much. We would talk every week 1 or 2 times a week. Even now some days I want to pick up the phone and call her. Life is hard and often doesn’t make any sense.
This month my uncle died suddenly. My uncle was not just an uncle to me but he was like a dad to me. He was such a blessing to me and my family. He was like a grandfather to my kids. Like a father in law to my husband. This loss stung. I had just spoke to him the Wednesday before he died and he died the Friday. There is no one like him. This second loss has hit me hard. We live in Texas but he was intentional about visiting us. If he didn’t visit, he would always check on him.
Our daughter had a college visit in Louisiana a few weeks ago. I’m so glad that we stopped in and spent some time together. To know him is to love him.
His funeral was a blessing. A really good home-going service. Well deserved. Seeing people I haven’t seen in a long time. Certainly this is not how you want to see people but my uncle’s funeral bought people together. He will be missed but I know that he is in a better place. “(for we walk by faith, not by sight:) we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:7–8 KJV).
As I walk through the process of grief, I am journaling, in therapy and talking to my friends trying to process it all. Life is very different.
Two people from my support system have passed away in 2 months of each other. It’s been hard. But I have to remind myself that God doesn’t make any mistakes. He is a good father and He alwasys knows what’s best. I don’t understand it and it makes no sense to me, but I am trusting in God to be my strength. He said in His word that He is close to the broken hearted. As I’m getting older, I’ve gone to more funerals than weddings, baby showers or fun celebratory events. But I’m reminded that there is a time for every season. ” To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV).
My advice through this is. Be present in the moments you are with your family. Be grateful in every season and count your blessings. Things change fast. I’m in a season of grief and sadness but I am finding small pockets of sunshine everyday. God has really been my source through all of this. My friends and family have been such a support and blessing to me through it all. You really find out who loves and care for you during tough seasons of life.
Remember life is filled with ups, downs and in between. In life we spend the majority of our lives in the in between but there are seasons of great downs in our lives. Then there comes seasons of highs. No matter what season you may find yourself in, remember that God is with you in it all. I will leave you with this, Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (KJV).
