TO YOU WHO ARE MOURNING,

I WISH I COULD TELL YOU THAT YOU WON’T BE ALONE. BUT MANY TIMES, YOU WILL. THERE ARE MANY OTHERS WHO HAVE FELT A PAIN LIKE YOURS, BUT YOU CANNOT DEPEND ON OTHERS. DEPEND ONLY ON ME. THE ONES CLOSEST TO YOU WILL NOT BE THERE, THEY MAY NOT KNOW HOW. REMEMBER THAT THOUGH THEY MAY NOT KNOW HOW, THEY DO LOVE YOU. THERE ARE TIMES WHEN ANGER, SADNESS, BITTERNESS, ISOLATION, AND CONFUSION WILL SEEM LIKE THEY ARE TAKING OVER. THEY ARE NOT. YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING TO DESERVE THIS, SO DON’T THINK I AM PUNISHING YOU. DEATH IS A PART OF THIS PHYSICAL LIFE.
YOUR HEART WILL ALWAYS HAVE THAT ACHE WHEN YOU THINK OF YOUR LOVED ONE WHO IS GONE. YOU WILL ALWAYS MISS THEM THE WAY YOU DO NOW. BUT TAKE HEART, YOU WILL SEE THEM AGAIN.
LIFE WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN. THE WORLD WILL KEEP SPINNING, THOUGH YOU WISH IT WOULD STOP—EVEN FOR A MOMENT. AS HORRIBLE AS DEATH IS, AS HORRIBLE AS SOME THINGS ARE IN LIFE, THERE WILL STILL BE SOME GOOD THINGS. CLING TO THOSE. WINTER WILL ALWAYS COME, JUST AS DEATH. BUT SPRING WILL ALWAYS BE JUST AROUND THE CORNER. EASTER WILL ALWAYS BE ON THE WAY.
REMEMBER THAT THOUGH YOU ARE ALONE IN SO MANY WAYS, I AM WITH YOU. I CANNOT REVEAL TO YOU JUST YET THE ANSWERS THAT YOU LONG TO KNOW. I CANNOT BRING BACK YOUR LOVED ONE. BUT KNOW THAT I AM HOLDING YOUR LOVED ONE WITH ME. YOU WILL MEET AGAIN SOON ENOUGH, AT AN HOUR THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW. TRY AS MUCH AS YOU CAN TO ENJOY THE GOOD MOMENTS I HAVE GIVEN YOU. AND TRY AS HARD AS YOU CAN TO GET THROUGH THE TRYING TIMES, SUCH AS THESE. LET ME CARRY YOUR BURDENS FOR YOU…SO OFTEN THE ONES I HAVE CHOSEN TO PLACE UPON YOU. I CAN’T EXPLAIN TO YOU JUST YET WHY I HAVE CHOSEN THIS LIFE FOR YOU. BUT REMEMBER THAT I LOVE YOU THROUGH IT ALL.
THIS WILL NOT BE THE LAST TIME YOU EXPERIENCE HEARTACHE THIS AWFUL. IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN, AND IT WILL ALSO HAPPEN TO OTHERS IN YOUR LIFE. BE FOR THEM WHAT YOU HAVE NEEDED FROM THEM. COMFORT THEM AS YOU HAVE NEEDED COMFORT.
REMEMBER TO PUT YOUR WHOLE SELF INTO EACH DAY, LOVING ME, YOURSELF, AND OTHERS THE WAY YOU KNOW HOW. GIVE OF YOURSELF, EVEN WHEN YOU GET NOTHING BACK. GIVE TO THOSE WHO WILL NOT GIVE TO YOU. LOVE THOSE WHO DON’T LOVE YOU BACK. BE KIND TO THOSE WHO ARE UNKIND TO YOU. BE SELFLESS TO THOSE WHO ARE SELFISH.

ONE DAY I WILL SAY, “ENOUGH!”…….AND THE TRYING TIMES WILL BE NO MORE. PAIN WILL BE GONE. HEARTACHE WILL BE ERASED. HUNGER WILL VANISH. THIRST WILL FLEE. POVERTY WILL BE DONE WITH. DEATH WILL BE ABOLISHED. LIFE WILL REIGN. UNTIL THEN, MY CHILD, REMEMBER MY LOVE FOR YOU IS NEVERENDING, AND I FEEL THIS PAIN YOU FEEL. I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS.

SOME HONESTY.

YOU SAID YOU’D ALWAYS BE HERE,
SO WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE YOU’RE GONE?
I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TO COME BACK AGAIN,
FOR SO LONG-YET I’M STILL ALONE.

MY HEART, MY SOUL, LONGS FOR A CHANGE,
FOR GOOD NEWS TO TRAVEL HERE.
I LONG TO HEAR A JOYFUL NOISE
COME SWIFTLY TO MY EARS.

I SEE THE WIND CHANGING,
HOW I WISH IT WOULD CHANGE FOR ME-
I HOPE, I PRAY, I YEARN
FOR EVEN ONE YEAR OF JUBILEE.

LIFE LOOKS SO HOPELESS RIGHT NOW,
AS IF NOTHING WILL BE GOOD.
HOW I WISH YOU’D COME BACK
AND REDEEM THIS PLACE, AS YOU SAID YOU WOULD.

THERE IS NO ANSWER NOW, I KNOW.
I WILL NEVER FIND ONE HERE.
BUT I JUST WISH I COULD FEEL
YOUR SWEET PRESENCE DRAWING NEAR.

I STILL WAIT, I HOPE, I WONDER
IF THINGS WILL TAKE A TURN-
OR WILL THINGS CONTINUE
TO JUST CRASH AND BURN?

I KNOW SOMETIMES YOU DO THINGS,
REGARDLESS OF HOW WE PRAY-
SO HOW DO YOU DECIDE THOSE THINGS,
CAN’T YOU MAKE THEM GO AWAY?

BECAUSE SOMETIMES, LORD, THE PAIN-
THE GRIEF, THE HEARTACHE, AND THE SORROW
MAKES ME FEEL LIKE I REALLY DON’T
WANT TO BE HERE TOMORROW.

AND THERE ARE DAYS I DON’T KNOW
WHAT TO DO-OR EVEN WHAT TO SAY-
I JUST WANT ALL THE HURTING OF THIS
LIFE TO GO AWAY.

YOU SAID WHEN YOU WALKED HERE
“THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND,”-
SO WHY CAN’T WE SEE THE GOOD SOMETIMES,
I DON’T UNDERSTAND.

ALL I CAN DO IS WAIT,
AS I’VE DONE SO MANY TIMES BEFORE-
UNTIL I SEE A GLIMPSE OF HOPE
COME THROUGH AN OPEN DOOR.

SO I WAIT HERE LISTENING TO THE WIND
BLOW GENTLY THROUGH THE TREE
AND HOPE THAT IT’S NOT TRUE-
THAT YOU’VE NEVER REALLY LEFT ME.

JESSICA SCHAFER 03-02-08