Good morning…
As Margaret wakes the day after the memorial service for her husband Tommy, I pray that you take her hand, Lord. Please guide her, moment by moment, step by step.
“The substance of grief is also the substance of love,” writes author and artist Jan Richardson. “They are made of the same stuff, and if we can be present to this—if we can stay with both the grief and the love that lives at the heart of it, the love will become more and more clear, and more clarifying, and it will, in time, show us the way to go.”
******
STAY by Jan Richardson from The Cure for Sorrow: A Book of Blessings for Times of Grief
I know how your mind
rushes ahead,
trying to fathom
what could follow this.
What will you do,
where will you go,
how will you live?
You will want
to outrun the grief.
You will want
to keep turning toward
the horizon,
watching for what was lost
to come back,
to return to you
and never leave again.
For now,
hear me when I say
all you need to do
is to still yourself,
is to turn toward one another,
is to stay.
Wait
and see what comes
to fill
the gaping hole
in your chest.
Wait with your hands open
to receive what could never come
except to what is empty
and hollow.
You cannot know it now,
cannot even imagine
what lies ahead,
but I tell you
the day is coming
when breath will
fill your lungs
as it never has before,
and with your own ears
you will hear words
coming to you new
and startling.
You will dream dreams
and you will see the world
ablaze with blessing.
Wait for it.
Still yourself.
Stay.
******
As we wait, still, and stay, God makes a promise. “I’ll take the hand of those who don’t know the way, who can’t see where they’re going. I’ll be a personal guide to them, directing them through unknown country. I’ll be right there to show them what roads to take, make sure they don’t fall into the ditch. These are the things I’ll be doing for them— sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute” (Isaiah 42:16, MSG).
A song sent to Margaret the day after Tommy’s passing has become for her a source of strength and comfort. As you listen, please stay in prayer for Margaret and their grieving family and friends.
…Sue…
