Good morning…
“Hi Sue,” she wrote this week. “Wanted to let you know that your recent post and poem has helped a friend of mine in Jacksonville. He lost both his brother-in-law and nephew in two separate drug overdoses in a three week period. So much sadness — thanks for all you do for so many.”
She proceeded to share with me a snapshot of her friend’s Facebook post and received his permission to share these power words with you.
“Yesterday we paid our respects to my nephew who was taken too soon from all of us,” he wrote in his loving tribute. ” The void that has been left can’t be measured. This is a loss that I don’t know if I will ever get over. My sister, his mom, is beyond anything one could imagine. As well as his sister. To top it off, today is his mom’s birthday. I wanted to thank all in attendance, who may see this somehow, some way. I had just wished more could have been shared at the service than was allowed. I had carried the cross for the procession into the church and cried the whole way. I was one of the chalice bearers and wept as I had to say, “The blood of Christ, the cup of salvation,” to each person that shared in communion. I read Romans 8 as well. I also wanted to read a poem a friend of mine had sent me that I felt was appropriate but the minister wouldn’t allow it due to the time constraints. So this is what I had wanted to read:
******
Let Me Go by Christina Rossetti
When I come to the end of the road
And the sun has set for me
I want no rites in a gloom filled room
Why cry for a soul set free?
Miss me a little, but not for long
And not with your head bowed low
Remember the love that once we shared
Miss me, but let me go.
For this is a journey we all must take
And each must go alone.
It’s all part of the master plan
A step on the road to home.
When you are lonely and sick at heart
Go to the friends we know.
Laugh at all the things we used to do
Miss me, but let me go.
******
How do we let go of a person we will miss so? ‘Go to the friends we know and laugh at all the things we used to do.’ Might these be the first steps of making our way through grief’s messy mixture of emotions?”
Sharing much of our recent post, Two Daughters Let Go, this loving uncle concluded his Facebook message with these words and a beautiful photo.
What a touching tribute from a man we may never meet, for a nephew who is so very deeply missed.
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them (Romans 8:26-28, NLT).
…Sue…
P.S. My Atlanta friend who forwarded our post to her Jacksonville, Florida friend wrote later, “The response on FB to his post has been amazing too! He is 30 years sober so it hit him hard. A lot of his friends are in recovery and have been touched by the poem also.”
God’s healing ripples are amazing to witness. J Schroeder lived and loved whole heartedly, impacting his family and friends to “miss him and let him go.” I was touched by the palpable, abundant love of this vibrant family, so I wrote about it, sharing the poem one daughter read at her dad’s memorial service. My friend here sends the post to her friend in Florida who is forced by life to let go of his beloved nephew, and God’s healing power ripples out from this man’s Facebook post. Incredibly creative on God’s part.
Often, God works in ways we cannot see. This time we caught our Sustainer in action, spreading out in expansive ways to comfort those who grieve.
