written by Lisa Morgan 1/25/2016
Life is very precious & fragile, as we all know to well. You can not love with out joy or pain be included in the love process, as they go hand in hand. The pain reminds of us how great the joy has been in our love. We as human tend to gravitate to the memories of joy tossing aside the pain, whether it be in childbirth or in the death of a loved one.
How great is the love we have for each other as we walk through life? Great enough to cause the heart to ache, as if it would shatter into a million pieces if not for the inner strength you find in faith. Great enough to give one the confidence to conquer anything & move mountains for that love knows no limitations. You can not truly be alive on this earth without having loved, which means you have also experienced loss while walking upon this earth. The loss though extremely painful does allow us to appreciate & revere the joy, laughter, intimacy & the silence when no words need be spoken, that we have with our loved ones.
I write this today after having news that a classmate from high school has lost her brother who was my niece's step father. Brad was killed in a tragic car accident leaving behind 4 children & my ex sister law Tammy. I can not fully express how I am shocked by this news of Brad's passing or how grieved I am for his family. There will be forever be a void in their lives. My brother in law Jonny was also killed in a tragic car wreck 25 yrs ago & yet it feels like yesterday. My Dad passed away 8 years ago & I still get chocked up talking about it. The loss never goes away; we simply learn to cope with it. Also about ten years ago my sister law was killed in a car accident. I know that loss, as you are given earth shattering news, that feels like an earthquake has simultaneously struck, while lighting knocked you to your knees. The days, months ahead will be difficult & sometimes almost unbearable & in these times reach out to God for healing, strength & support.
Reach out to loved ones & friends to lean upon as none of us can be strong all the time. Animosity, anger are sometimes harbored in relationships, when they go sour. It never does anyone of us good to have an unforgiving heart. We all fail & fall short of the kingdom of heaven. I have been guilty of this un-forgiveness. I had to truly seek to let go of harbored useless emotions that weighed down my soul. When I forgave those who had caused me harm, I prayed that those whom I had harmed, would also forgive me. I hope that they have or will one day. Not one among us is without fault. When tragedy strikes we must come together to heal. No one knows the loss a another feels when they lose a loved one, we only empathize with them or sympathize with them based off of our experiences with loss, each loss is different. God be with those who have felt the loss of a loved one & whose soul cries out in agony from each breath they take.
My best friend lost her husband almost 4 years ago. I saw first hand what the intense loss of a spouse can do to your soul. Time has passed by & my friend smiled, laughed and shared moments of happiness with me as we shared dinner last night. It was a blessing to see her soul shine again. Soul shine is a wonderful thing. I have friends who are expecting a child late in their lives, when they thought they would not have another child, as they are in their forties & fifties, but the child is due any day now. As one life exits this world swiftly without any notice, another life eagerly enters the world. My best friend's son got married a few months ago & is embarking on a new course in his life as a young married man, where the possibilities are limitless for the newlyweds. I spoke to a woman who in her mid fifties had given up on finding love again after a divorce & being single for almost ten years, then she found her soul mate last year & married two months ago.
I'll send this out to anyone who might read it with a heavy heart from grief or a weightless heart enthralled in the passions of love; we do not know the day, the hour or the moment we will be called to leave this earth to join our departed loved ones & our creator God. Today one has a heart ripped from them as they grieve intensely the loss of a family member, while another has witnessed the miracle of life through a child entering into this world; at these times we feel the presence of God much greater than we do in our everyday mundane tasks of life. Appreciate the time you have with those around you with whom you cherish, for at the blink of an eye any one of us may be called to be with the Lord.
There is a passage in the Bible that reads "Be still & know that I am the Lord", which is of comfort to me because in times of pure bliss or times of extreme pain God is always with us to shine his light upon us, to share in our experiences on this earth also to guide us with his loving light.
Though we walk, we never walk alone.
My prayers are with those who are grieving the loss of loved ones. My prayers are with those bringing a new life into the world. My prayers are with the newlyweds who are starting a new life together. May we all place perspective in our lives to clearly see the importance of life, to love without holding back, to embrace joy, laughter & smiles that come our way, to lean upon others when we are not strong, to find comfort knowing God is always watching & always here with us. Be blessed each day to find the good you have been blessed with even in a bad day, for each day that we are alive & breathing is truly a good day.
Smile as your loved one tells that same old joke or story you have heard one hundred times before, place the smiles you receive in a mason jar for safe keeping in your memory bank, you will need them again one day. Let go of the anger, resentment, past pain someone had thrust upon you, it is not worth your precious time to hold onto emotions of anger or resentment, when you can not hold onto love or joy when you are clinging tightly to anger & resentment. Soul shine happens when your soul experiences bliss, happiness, joy, forgiveness. Soul shine is as dim as a candle light on a moonless night, when a soul grieves. Help those who are going through loss in their lives. These are among the good works spoken of in the bible than will make up the fine linen you will wear in heaven. The grieving process will take significant time maybe several years, for the one grieving to once again have their soul shine, be relentless in standing with them to catch them when they collapse or to hug them when they need an embrace. Be mindful to listen when that is all you can do for the grieving soul. One day maybe many days away soul shine will return, be ready to share that soul shine.
Thank you for taking your time to join me,
Lisa Morgan
Author of the book Get Beach Slapped
www.getbeachslapped.com
Download your copy of the satirical reality check book Get Beach Slapped today!
