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8.18.2013

Monday's Musings - Losing With Grace

There is someone in my life who has amazed me recently. 

It's my dad. 

He lost his beloved wife of 60 years recently.

He spent the last 11 years of their marriage caring for mom after her stroke. She fought, and with his help, became somewhat independent once again about 9 years ago. 

But the past year was tough. Mom was hospitalized 4 times. She suffered fractures easily. Daddy was right there. Us kids took turns coming to care for them both. 

And in May, we said goodbye to her. 

How dad has handled his loss has been astounding. 

He devoted his life to her. 

He misses her. 

But not a conversation goes by where he doesn't tell me how blessed they were. 

How lucky he was that she said, "Yes." 


That they had 6 great kids. 

That we had so many family beach trips with all thirty-some of us getting together.

That they had been able to travel some. To Germany. To Hawaii. To Canada. To Alaska. Each of those trips was to visit one of my siblings or travel with them.


He tells me how much God had blessed them. 

He mourns. But not as one without hope. 

I had only heard my dad cry three times in all my life. Until mom passed away. Now he cries almost every time I talk with him.

But he assures me he's okay. 

Even in his deep loss, it's not all about him. He asks about me, my husband and about each of our kids. 

We talk about growing up. About our life as a family. About mom. 

She was special. And I'm grateful. 

I know mom would want us to go on. Living. Being happy again.

Because her hope was not tied just to this earth. Her hope was in eternity. In God's love. She was at peace. And we are, too. We miss her. But one day...

I'm humbled by my parents. Their deep faith has gotten them through some tough times. And now, to hear my dad express his gratefulness, even in the most difficult thing he's ever faced, is humbling. His faith in God is giving strength to those of us in the family.  

He has suffered a great loss with grace. God's grace.

And for that, I am thankful and blessed. 

May you see God's hand working in your life today. 

My mom would be the first to tell you how good God is.....











11 comments:

  1. What a wonderful, beautiful post. Thanks so much for sharing, Mary.

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    1. I'm happy to share some of the love and wisdom I learned from my parents. :)

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  2. Thank you for sharing this, and especially for sharing your journey!

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  3. What a wonderful outlook. Thanks for sharing this. Your parents are lovely.

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    1. I am truly blessed Ellen to have them as my folks. :)

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  4. And of course, I cried again. You are so fortunate to have been given such awesome parents. You know you will see them again. I celebrated my dad's birthday today. He would have been 93. And I don't know if I'll see him again. I don't know if I'll see my mother after she passes either. I'm glad you realize how blessed you are. My prayers are always with you. Let the confident hope carry you and your dad through these tough days.

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    1. I'm sorry I made you cry, Karen! But at the same time, we need to cry. Holding it in doesn't work!

      Mom's b-day was Friday......

      I am very thankful for my parents. :)

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  5. Thank you for the cry this morning. Correction - bawl. This is a beautiful & touching post. My dad had his 78th birthday tomorrow & next week my parents will celebrate their 58th wedding anniversary. I have often thought about when the day comes that God calls one of them home. What a beautiful testimony of faith your parents have. But more so, what a legacy to leave behind. And that will last! Thank you for sharing this as it truly does give me hope for when that day comes.
    I visited from The Weekend Blog Hop. Those faces drew me to your post :) and I am grateful that they did! May God comfort & strengthen you all but especially your dad, who has touched me deeply this morning.
    Have a blessed weekend!
    Joanne

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    1. Joanne, I happen to be visiting with my dad right now. He lives in NC and this is our first visit with him since the funeral. (I had major surgery this summer and couldn't travel til now.) Anyway, he just read your response..... He teared up.

      Thank you for commenting. It meant a lot to him!! To know God is using what he's going through to help others!!

      Yes, God will see you through when the time comes to say goodbye. Just tell your parents everything you want to say. My mom and I had a clean slate. I had asked for forgiveness for stuff I had done growing up and she had granted it across the board, unequivocally. We knew how much we loved each other. I couldn't ask for more than that....

      May God bless you today as well Joanne!

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  6. Beautiful post. Thanks for sharing.

    Sharon and Denise ♥

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