Navigating Grief to Hope and Healingنموونە

Finding Companions on the Journey

When you are grieving, you feel like your strength is being sapped and you might wonder if the wearying sorrow will ever be over.

What I can tell you from experience is that the loss never goes away, but the sharp edges do become less like broken glass and more like smooth river rock. Something you can still see and feel, but more pleasantly experience.

You might be surprised to find that comforting others in a similar situation will bring you comfort as well. 

Put yourself out there. Be the first to say hello. I can’t even begin to count how many widows have been on my path since I lost my husband. I wish I’d kept count because it seems like they are funneling into my GPS!

Recently, I dropped into a store I used to frequent when my husband was alive. I didn’t have anything I needed to purchase, so I was just sort of wandering through the store reminiscing. I was only half looking at the sale items heaped upon the back racks when I noticed a woman looking at a set of steel mixing bowls. I’d just picked them up, too. They were such a great deal, but the last thing I needed was another set of bowls cluttering my cabinets. 

I turned to the woman and said, “I almost couldn’t resist those. They really are a great deal.” The woman looked up and laughed. “I’m tempted, but I promised my children I wouldn’t buy another thing. My husband just passed. They said I need to wait and see what my finances are like. Boy, what a mess.”

My heart filled with compassion. The sorrow that was in my own heart that very moment scooted over as we engaged in conversation. It was a delightful discussion. Just the two of us sharing our experiences—the good and the bad of widowhood. As we said our goodbyes, she gave me a big hug and thanked me. I still remember her saying, “God bless you” as I walked away, and my thinking, Yes, yes He has. 

I never saw that woman again, but I’ll remember her forever. I feel quite certain she feels the same way wherever she is today. I’ve had so many similar experiences since then. Now that it’s been several years since I lost my husband, it’s much easier to bring up. However, it still shocks me when I mention it and whoever I’m speaking to admits having just suffered a loss of her own. In those moments, I know God is smiling down on the two of us, watching us both heal and praise Him for bringing us together.

God bless you.

Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing others into my life in this difficult season. Your word and many blessings offer me strength and bring me peace. Please help me focus on how grateful I am for the time I had with my husband, and allow me to feel those memories with a smile in my heart. I pray that you’ll use me to help others in a similar way along this journey. I humbly listen for your guidance. Amen.