That for which we give blessing…..
It is Sunday. A day of worship and fellowship and rest. I got to Church this morning. God is gracious. He knew I would need strength for the day.
The call came, I knew as soon as the phone rang.
My auntie is dying……actively
The cancer they told us about just a short time ago has moved aggressively
So little time to connect, to process, to say those things that need to be said
I took time last week to write a letter – by hand (if you know about my handwriting skills you know that it was important) – but it hasn’t arrived yet
Our hearts ache and the tears fall
We cry together on the phone
With or without words…..we understand because we are family
And we have been here before
But we are so blessed!
How can I say that? Because she is/we are surrounded by family – we are a family that loves, cares, prays and believes that the Lord is in control and no matter how hard, how un understandable – HE WAS, HE IS, HE WILL BE and into His Hands we place my auntie Carol Anne and my Uncle Jimmy and there three precious children Joey, Anita and Matthew – all too young to go through this.
This is the hard eucharisteo – the hard grace – the unclenched fists, receiving the hard things and offering them back up to the Father and asking Him to strengthen us, draw us together, and teach us to lean hard on Him as well as each other.
We will go through – together – knit together not only by blood by the bond that comes from growing up together, facing difficulties together, agreeing, disagreeing, but always loving each other. That is what we do as a family.
But we do not sorrow or grieve as those who have no hope – we hope because we are His and He holds us in the Palm of His Mighty Hands, wipes our tears and comforts our heart with the “peace that passeth all understanding.”