★ Thought for the Day – The Lord is Near ★

Psalm 34:18 (ESV) says

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.”

Yesterday was the five month anniversary of My Mom’s passing away. I shared this
★ Thought for the Day – Tribute to My Mom ★ about what a profound affect my Mom had on me in spite of the hard life she lived. Over the weekend my daughter had a school project to write about something that shaped her and she handed me he iPad to show me what she wrote about. With tears in my eyes this is what I read:

I’ve seen unmatched beauties,
the breathtaking marvels of
glorious skies painted daily with radiant colors,
towering mountains adorned with flowering garments,
and magnificent trees dancing to the song of the wind,
yet out of all these wonders
the greatest one I’ve known to be
is the diverse pieces that molded me,
the puzzle of who I am.

Soaking up sunshine with Grandma on the beach
is the earliest memory piece my mind can reach.
Wrestling to stay afloat with each powerful wave
taught me to stand tall and be brave.
Finding the tiny treasures the tides left behind
gave me an awestruck frame of mind.
Relishing each moment in the oceanic paradise
lured me into thinking that life is so nice.

Years later, Grandma, who is overflowing with a love that’s as sure as the rising of the sun, invited me over to look through old photos
extracting a story from each picture
celebrating and delighting in the victories of the past
remembering the struggles that shaped our family
entrusting me with her memories and wisdom
showing me life’s charm and kindness

Soon my cheerful mindset challenged
One phone call shattering the illusion I lived in
A hospital calling to inform of my precious grandma’s stroke
She was at the brink of death
under close examination from doctors
in an uncomfortably quiet hospital room
without consciousness or her usual warm spirit
in an ordinary hospitable bed
where people she used to visit would have laid.

When Grandma’s stroke stole her away from us
I had to choose
to move past my damaged perspective of life
to push forward by overthrowing sorrow’s reign
to celebrate by dwelling on the good memories I had with her
to endure with the same strength I had as I little girl in the ocean waves
These are the qualities she has passed on to me.

Each memory,
each moment,
each puzzle piece,
from giggles on the beach
and the lavishing of stories
to uncontrollable sobs after a final breath,
has been united into a beautiful and irreplaceable masterpiece.
My life may not have been a smooth road
but I wouldn’t trade the heartbreaks that have
molded me from a
naive young girl with fleeting happiness
to a strong fighter
who can excavate joy from any circumstance.

It’s not lost on me how God is working through my daughter to bring back the truth of Psalm 34:18 that she finished this poem on the five month anniversary of her Grandma’s passing! If you are hurting today over the loss of someone, look around for God, He is always there to comfort you! He’s close to the brokenhearted!

If you want to read more on the love of God, check out:

★ Thought for the Day – What Does God’s Love Mean? ★

★ Thought for the Day – Grief is a Passage, Not a Place ★

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