Loss

The other day I was sitting with a friend and thinking about all of the loss that I will likely experience this year. John is joining the Army, Mariah is going to college, even our dog is probably not going to make it until his 13th birthday in August....and that is just the tip of my Loss Iceburg. The physical loss of the daily presence of these loved ones in my life is going to be profound. The thing I wonder is this: How do people make it in this world without the Lord? I already know, before any of these losses occur, that the only way I am going to make it through is because of my faith. I know, beyond any doubt, that John is doing what God has put on his heart and led him to do. I also know that Mariah is seeking God's will in graduating early and in the decision on where she will go to school. If I didn't truly believe that the God of this universe is in charge of my life, and the life of my loved ones, I'd most likely be falling apart.

Some mock Jesus as being a crutch. All I know is that I need Him. I lean on Him. I am broken and useless without Him. Everyone needs a crutch like that.

I am eternally grateful to my mom, who took me to church as a young girl even on the Sundays that I didn't want to go. I am thankful for the memory I have of her sitting in her rocking chair reading her Bible, and for the steadfast faith she demonstrated through the difficult times in her life. I know the Lord put the "faith to believe" in me, but she was my earthly example of how to walk that faith with peace and confidence. I miss her so and rejoice in the knowledge that we will some day be reunited.

I am blessed to have close friends and family come along beside me and help me on this journey. Thank you. Thank you for being an ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on. ...and thank you for laughing with me when you know I need that as well.

I am richly blessed.