Hospice/Holidays/Hope
It’s always seemed odd to me how the happiness of the holiday season has a way of magnifying our sadness by comparison.
Confession: I’ve been in a season of sadness since my sisters and I had to call in Hospice care for my Mama recently.
Amidst the sadness of her declining health, I’ve been pondering the many, many things I have to thank the LORD for in this season. This list poured out on to paper this morning:
~ Jesus, my gentle, Good Shepherd who is walking us through all this.
~ The secure truth of
Psalm 23:1-4 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (especially my favorite phrase “I fear no evil, for you are with me.”)
~ my 2 sisters in Alabama who have done so much to help Mama when I live a 16 hour drive away
~ precious family friends who visit Mama and call me while with her so I can talk to her, or even FaceTime, since she can no longer manage use of her phone
~ Mama still recognizes us
~ the Southwest Airlines route schedule and our convenient Amarillo airport that have have made my travels smooth
~ my distant cousin Jane, who, out of the goodness of her heart, has made several trips from Virginia to Alabama to be with Mama
~ the way the LORD orchestrated my schedule this past year and a half so that I had time with my happy, lively, beautiful grandkids at the end of so many of my Tuscaloosa visits, pointing me to the joy of the future of my family
I could go on and on and on. . .
The Bottom Line: Taking time to sit down and list things I have to be thankful for is helping me cope with loss.
If you’re in a similar boat, you might want to pause to ponder the things you have to be grateful for. Even if it’s the last thing you feel like doing, I’m finding this simple exercise can be a heart shifter and a head lifter.
Debbie