This new journey of grief looks nothing like I had imagined. I always thought I would be visiting my momma’s grave every day and sitting serenely as I talked to her and cried, telling her how much I missed her. Instead, the past three months have been some of the busiest and most stress-filled days of my life. The weird thing about grief is that life goes on.
This Christmas at Council Road, we are releasing an original song to go along with our Advent season. The song, “What Christ Brings” was written to encourage our church and remind us of the beautiful blessings that Christ brings to us as we celebrate this special season. It is always such a gift to hear the songs that my husband, Eric Wall, dreams up for our church and this one is definitely no exception.
Is it possible to feel thankful for anything when you are reeling and in despair? I found myself grappling with this very question five years ago in the days leading up to Thanksgiving of 2019. My newly adopted daughter had shockingly just been diagnosed with cancer. Faced with the uncertainty of my daughter’s future, I was wrestling with the idea of being “thankful” for anything when my circumstances felt distressing. Reflecting on that hard season, I want to offer four suggestions for discovering gratitude and thanksgiving when faced with difficult circumstances.
I just finished addressing my daughter's graduation announcements and am packing for her senior trip. Forty-six years of life has made me intimately aware of the seasons and how quickly they pass. At first, I found myself wishing seasons away, either because I didn’t have the emotional bandwidth to feel the feels, or I didn’t have the time to stop and be present. Thankfully, somewhere along the way, I realized I was wishing away precious time I could never get back.
