Losing one you love is one of the most difficult challenges most of us will face. Psalm 30:5b tells us that “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” That morning may take weeks, months, a few years … But there comes a time when you may again waken to smile at the sunshine streaming into your room; to laugh at a child’s antics; or to delight in the love and play of a pet.

One of my nephews married about five months after Jerry passed away. Kyle and his lovely bride, Heather, had asked us to read I Corinthians 13 at their wedding. After Jerry died, Kyle asked if I wanted to be released from that commitment. I did not. Their wedding and marriage was a reminder that joy can exist even within, or alongside, pain. I read the love passage with deep feeling, remembering my husband and his love for me, and for these two who were joining their lives as one. I wouldn’t have missed doing that!

I have experienced a great deal of joy, even since losing Jerry. The pain was indescribable, and healing had to occur first; but as time went on, joy came “in the morning” …

• The joy of writing, encouraging others in their loss and pain.
• The joy of much-loved Cavalier King Charles Spaniels who came into my life and made me laugh.
• The joy of sitting on a beach and feeling hope rise in my spirit.
• The delight of working with three-year-olds in Sunday school;
• The joy of mentoring younger women in their faith;
• The joy of experiencing God’s love and guidance as I found my way into my new normal, eventually including a new love.
• The joy of loving, and being loved by, family and friends unconditionally.
• The joy of finding a new love and building a life with him.

I’ve created a “Loss Resource Form” on which you can record phone numbers for your key contacts i.e. Pastor/Priest, Attorney, CPA; bank account information; and included some helpful websites with information about what needs to be done following a death. Most of us don’t want to talk about this eventuality. However, by listing information needed in one place, we can make it easier for those we leave behind. Don and I have a list of vendors who have done repairs on our home. Instructions about location of the will and bank accounts, caregivers, contacts for legal, professional, or tax assistance provide you, or your remaining family, information needed in a time of emotional turmoil.

If you’d like a free copy of this form, please request it through the “comments” option, email me a request, or subscribe to my blog. 

May you feel God’s comfort today, and tomorrow, and the following day … and may joy come in the morning.

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