Grief Exposed

It happened Monday morning.  Debbie came into my tiny home-office, sat down and began sobbing:  "I want my Travis back!  I want him back!"  For thirty minutes we held each other and wept.

Yesterday, I just couldn't stay focused.  I tried to work, but my mind felt dull. I had low motivation and felt like I just wanted to zone out.  I called Debbie late in the day and she reported similar feelings.

Last night we were forwarded pictures of Travis' casket receiving an honors escort to the plane that will carry him to Annapolis.  Meltdown time for all of us!

These episodes do not reflect a lack of faith.  Rather, they reflect a deep love.

We all trust God.  We love and serve Him daily.  Being a follower of Christ doesn't remove grief from your life.  We've lost someone who was precious to us, and we miss him!  Tears come - and will continue to come!

I think the worst part of grief is the regrets.  All of us wish we would have called him more.  We wish we'd have told him that we loved him more. Debbie and I wish we had stopped to see him on our way home from China.

We wonder:  Did he know how much we loved him?  Did he know how proud we were of him?  Did he know how special he was to so many people?  Did he realize how many lives he'd touched?

As we all know, we can't change any of these things now;  our window of opportunity is closed now.  But perhaps you can.

Is there someone who needs to hear you say:
"I love you!"
"You're the best Mom (or Dad)!"
"I'm so proud of you!"
"I forgive you"
"Please forgive me?"
"You're such a good son (or daughter)."
"You've brought so much joy to my life!"
"You are really special!"
"I miss you!"
"You've helped me so much!"
"You've made a difference in my life!"

Grab a phone and make the call!  Do it before the call comes that closes your window of opportunity...