Merry Memories

One of life’s significant challenges is being able to lean into life, love, laugh, and live in the presence of sorrow; while learning that one is not irrespective of the other.
Without a doubt, if my parents could tell me one thing, it would be to enjoy the breadth of every day; and I agree — some days that looks tidy and together, while other times it is outright messy.
Grief is an ebb and flow of hibernation and then exacerbation. That is to be alive, though. I am not a super-spiritual machine untouched by suffering. In fact, following Jesus makes me more prone to experience the depths of the world’s anguish, as He did.
Grief is a necessary means of grace; although it is not fun, it is fundamental to healing.
If you are mourning the loss of someone special this holiday season, you are not alone. Many hearts are experiencing the holes that absence creates. When we are travelers on grief’s rocky road, the season brings moments infused with peace, while others are piercingly painful.
Perhaps God gave us memories and purposeful reminders of those we mourn so that the “merry” remains in Christmas.