The Road of Acceptance is Hard...

I went for a nice, long walk this afternoon.  Yeah...I know, crazy, right?  But, I have to tell you, I love being involved in the melancholic haze of a hot, late summer afternoon.  That's when the cool breeze you catch in the shade feels all the sweeter.  The sweat drops rolling down my forehead make me feel like I'm working hard, and the lush green that still holds in the surroundings, make me think of my Mom...

Today, she would have been 93 years old.  WOW...I can't even imagine her as an "old lady."  It's like she is frozen in time, and in my mind, she will always be in her early seventies.

The void she left in our hearts, when she went to be with the Lord would never be filled.  But the memories that linger bring a smile to the faces of those who had the privilege of knowing her.  Today, I praise God for having given her to me for as long as He did.  And, even though it hurts me to think that she never got to meet my kids, I know someday, she will.

It's never easy to let go of those whom we love.  We can't help to think about death as so final.  But I hang on to the promise of a family reunion with Jesus in Heaven, for eternity. 

The road to reaching that point of total acceptance, however, is very rough, bumpy and never straight.  It takes a lot of intentionality.  It takes a level of maturity.  I takes total trust in the One who promised that:

John 14:2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

and that,

Revelation 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

These words, when not spoken or heard in faith, may sound trite and hollow.  The truth revealed in them loses impact when looked at in the bitterness of loss.  The comfort that they bring dissolves when the  heart is closed in grief.  

The good news is that Our All-Compassionate Father knows all these.  He knows the heart needs time to heal.  He knows that the wounds of loss stay open for a long time, and that even when they are mended, they always leave a scar...that's why we always remember...

Sigh...

The road to reaching the point of acceptance is hard...like a hike in the melancholic haze of a hot, late summer afternoon...but that's how you notice the soft breeze that brings relief while in the shade.

Happy Birthday, Mom!