Grief with Hope

It's been almost two weeks since my.mom passed away. It's still sinking in. The sadness is heavy as lead but it could be a lot worse. Besides being by myself right now, when it's customary to be around family and friends and people bringing casseroles, the hardest part is dreaming that I hear her calling me. I wake up and start to go see what she needs but then I realize she's gone, and my eyes well up with tears.

 Grief has always hit me hard but I know that one can't have grief without first having had an equal amount of love, and it's just part of the process. I've cried several times, including a full-on blubbering session that my dear friend Bruce graciously shared with me. I know that one day the great memories will outweigh the sadness but I'm not there yet. Mom touched a lot of lives in a positive way. She was loved by many, none the least of whom myself. I miss her.

 I was talking to Debra, another dear friend and a remarkable human being. We both believe in God. We were talking about how grateful we are for our faith, especially at times like this, and wondering how people who don't have have faith get by without it. The way it works is when I think about how sad I am, I think about how happy my mom is, at least according to my beliefs. Same goes for my dad.

 Debra told me about a book she read about a family who went to Mongolia as missionaries. They didn't try to force their beliefs on anyone, but rather just expose them to them. God gives us free will. 

 Sadly one of their children passed away. They were devastated but just like me they relied on their faith to take some of the edge off as it were. The townspeople mourned with them, and they noticed something. They knew that the family believed in an afterlife, and they believed they'd see their child again. They said it was the first time they'd ever seen "grief with hope."  That's heavy.

 Again it makes me wonder how people get through these things without faith. I've said it a million times but if God isn't real and my faith is just the plecebo effect, I'll take it. If it turns out that God isn't real, then no harm, no foul. Grief with hope...I love that. Give your people an extra hug today. God bless.