Something More Sundays Week 1

There can be grace in grief we find in Something More Sundays Week 1.

The holidays can be doubly difficult if someone has experienced the recent loss of a loved one.

Enough tears can be shed to possibly brine a Thanksgiving turkey.

I think most of you know that despite my desperate pleas for prayer I did not make it to my grandmother’s side before she passed away. This could be a prime opportunity for guilt in addition to grief. But I have decided not to invite that notion to live and fester in my heart.

My grandmother was a nurse for over 60 years of her life. She saw multiple generations experience the circle of life and death. Death is not always easy. It can be quite the struggle. My grandmother had seen this firsthand and in all honesty, even though she knew I was coming, she was probably a caring nurse right up until the end and wanted to shield her loved ones from viewing what could possibly be a difficult passage.

Grace.

Something More Sundays Week 1

My grandmother lived in a town of 903 people. She was active in her church and community. Everywhere I went last week people I did not know had lovely memories and happy stories to share regarding my grandmother.

Grace.

People were eager to help me. Be it my grandmother’s minister, her neighbors or former coworkers. It’s not lost on me that every single sympathy card I have received in the mail so far has been received from a stranger.

Grace.

I had the opportunity to really get to know family members who, up until this point, I had no idea who they were as people. Seeds of relationships were planted and are budding.

Grace.

Lasting Legacy

It was so inspirational to me, as I was cleaning out her home, to find several projects she had in the works. Yarn to knit caps for Honduran orphans, a doll she was repairing for a friend and notes to me scattered throughout the home.

Grace.

Yes, there were moments this past week that I let grace allude me. I became overwhelmed when I discovered no less than six piles of dirty laundry that had been created while I was gone. To have this chore on top of shopping for, decorating and preparing Thanksgiving dinner on short notice made me….ungrateful. Bad tempered even. Then I remembered the last load of laundry I had done at my grandmother’s. Burying my head deep into her soft shirts to experience her smell one last time…

So yes, I decided to rejoice in dirty socks. Which truly can only be GRACE.

Goodness Shines On

Goodness can shine through even in grief. Like all things, it is merely our choice to choose to see the good and embrace the grace.

This is from one of my favorite advent sites.

“As we begin Advent, we light one candle in the midst of all the darkness in our lives and in the world.  It symbolizes our longing, our desire, our hope.  Three “advents” or “comings” shape our desire.  We want to be renewed in a sense that Jesus came to save us from our sin and death.  We want to experience His coming to us now, in our everyday lives, to help us live our lives with meaning and purpose.  And we want to prepare for His coming to meet us at the end of our lives on this earth.”

So, we begin with our longing, our desire, and our HOPE.

“When we wake up, each day this week, we could light that candle, just by taking a few moments to focus. We could pause for a minute at the side of our bed, or while putting on our slippers or our robe, and light an inner candle.  Who among us doesn’t have time to pause for a moment? “

 

You can also find prayers for singles, couples and those who are widowed HERE.

The Candle of Hope

As I light the first candle of Advent, which represents HOPE, this evening at dinner and throughout the week I will be thankful for God’s unending grace.

Laura

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Something More Sundays Week 3