Posts tagged grief
Death of a Dogwood: Reflections on Grief One Year Later
Death of a Dogwood: Reflections on Grief One Year Later

The death of my tree was just the last in a string of losses, and there was no holding back the tears. Everything felt heavy, slow, and difficult. My daily rhythms of waking early for Bible study and prayer fell by the wayside. I functioned in survival mode. Still, I found ways to process those things in the safety of my relationship with Jesus. Despite my muddy brain and emotional overwhelm, I refused to give up what I have learned is my lifeline in times of despair: my ongoing conversation with my Savior.

… We learn to trust God because we have to trust God. We’ve got nothing left on our own.

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BlogNicole O'Mearagrief, Joyful Life Magazine, depression, pandemicComment
To Find Hope, First You Need to Lament
To Find Hope, First You Need to Lament

In Biblical terms, making space to grieve is called “lament.” Lament is part of the process that brings us to hope. Like a splinter in your finger, it’s painful to begin with but it’s best to endure the “yuckiness” of tweezing it out in order to heal.

Put very simply, to lament is to name your pain or suffering and give yourself permission to feel all the feelings you have regarding it. It takes honesty. And it needs to be expressed in some way outside your head.

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BlogNicole O'Mearalament, grief, chronic disease, Michele CushattComment
Wrestling through the Lord Giving and Taking Away {Guest Post}
Wrestling through the Lord Giving and Taking Away {Guest Post}

You give and take away. Blessed be your name.

It’s one thing to sing those words when life is sailing along fairly well. But to say them when you’re standing among the shards of life as you knew it — and life as you wanted it? It’s admittedly hard to declare in the face of deep loss.

I get that a loving God can give. We know that as our Heavenly Father, all good and perfect gifts are from above. God so loved the world that He gave. He tells us to come to Him and ask and He will give us what we need.

But it’s harder to embrace that a loving God could take away.

{Guest Post by Lisa Appelo}

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BlogNicole O'MearagriefComment
Book Reviews: Becoming Mrs. Lewis and A Grief Observed
Book Reviews: Becoming Mrs. Lewis and A Grief Observed

Becoming Mrs. Lewis, written by Patti Callahan, is a well-researched historical fiction story of the life of Joy Davidman, the woman who married C.S. Lewis. Much of the correspondence between Lewis and Davidman has been lost but thanks to a newly discovered treasure trove of sonnets written by Joy during her friendship with Jack, as his friends called him, Miss Callahan has given us a very good picture of the woman who captured Jack’s heart.

The day I finished Becoming Mrs. Lewis, I booked it over to the library (see what I did there?) to grab a copy of A Grief Observed, written by C.S. Lewis. This book is C.S. Lewis’ journal, verbatim, of his journey through grief. It is filled with emotional turmoil and spiritual doubt. It is honest and gut-wrenching and, for me, extremely relatable.

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Book Review, BlogNicole O'Mearabook review, griefComment