Do you ever realize you haven’t taken a breath in a while? I mean literally.
I had that experience many times during Joe’s cancer journey. I think it might be related to stress. People often remarked to me during that time, “you’re so strong”. All I know is I lived one moment at a time. During Joe’s cancer journey, God sustained me with the mental and physical energy and clear thinking I needed for the tasks at hand. In spite of my general self-centeredness, He enabled me to “rise to the challenge” of meeting Joe’s needs. And it truly was my joy and honor to serve him.
I’ve noticed that when someone is telling me of a recent loss, they often quickly add, “but it’s not as bad as your loss—I can’t imagine losing a child.” I so appreciate the sympathy and understanding that statement implies. But if your heart is broken you have suffered a great loss. If you want to tell me about the loss of your wonderful grandma or a good friend, go ahead. No judgment here. While grief is different for each person, and losing a child certainly goes against the expected order of things, on some level grief is grief. And if you have suffered an extreme loss, you understand grief.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard or read: “I could never survive losing a child…”
I hope you never have to find out, but yes, you could.
You just need someone to remind you to breathe.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted... Psalm 34:18
