Apr 23
Children are not supposed to die before their parents. It’s out of normal order, which helps explain the depth of pain we parents feel. Fortunately, it’s also a rare event for most families. So it’s understandable that I get asked a lot of questions about dealing with the loss of a teenage son. One of …
Apr 07
This has been an eventful Easter weekend. We officially celebrate life on the positive side of resurrection Sunday. Because of the empty tomb, we have hope for being rescued from sin and despair, and ultimately from death itself. But on Good Friday, hope was fleeting. Even upon the cross, Jesus famously quoted from Psalm 22, saying, “My …
Mar 24
We all like to remember special events in our lives. Usually we commemorate important events with recurring annual celebrations. We celebrate events like holidays, anniversaries and birthdays. These were all first time events at one time, and they are significant markers for us as we watch the years go by. First time events can be really …
Mar 10
How do you grieve over a significant loss? For me, it boils down to two things: trying to survive the intense pain and sadness, and the desperate effort to figure out whatever is next. The first one requires comforting. The second one requires determination. I don’t know how you can avoid the painful part. Melanie and I …
Mar 01
We all have things we’re afraid of. Your list will be different than my list, but most of us can easily name things we fear the most. In general terms, we fear such things as illness, pain, death, financial ruin, personal failure and loneliness. For the sake of simplicity I’ll call those human fears. Human fears …
Feb 22
Pain and comfort are at opposite extremes. Lingering in either place too long can be destructive to our bodies as well as our souls. If you enjoy exercise and working out, you know what it’s like to go through short-term pain in order to gain long-term comfort. But no one wants to endure unrelenting pain. I am a …
Jan 27
Who came up with the term ‘Good Grief’? Maybe it was Charlie Brown during a moment of confusion. How could he associate grief with anything good? Sort of like mixing the terms ‘Sweet Sorrow’ or ‘Awfully Good’. When we are living through a situation of significant loss, the grief can hit us suddenly and uninvited. And often. We can …
Recent Comments