Prime
Lost a loved one? May you find grace to cope
Author: Min Atek. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- He had shrunk almost overnight and my heart went out to him. I could relate to his pain because only three weeks earlier, he had lost his earthly father.
He stepped into the podium and I gasped. I zoomed in and out. Then I zoomed in again. Was I seeing right? I zoomed in yet again. The collar of his shirt did not seem to fit right. The coat was hanging over his already slim body.
He had shrunk almost overnight and my heart went out to him. I could relate to his pain because only three weeks earlier, he had lost his earthly father. He had worked hard to keep it altogether, but grief is grief. His spirit was strong, but his heart was broken and his body betrayed him.
Was he even eating anything? Was he crying himself to sleep at night? Was he thinking straight? I had many questions. This very week was my mother’s earthly birthday. It is the second birthday since she transitioned. I still cried quietly in the privacy of my room. Grieving the passing of the only woman that ever truly, truly loved me with her very life.
I could see that my mentor too was grappling with the loss of his father- a father who was his biggest cheerleader and friend. The father who had given his all for his children. The father who had nursed him severally in hospital and had watched over him as he grew up.
Today, I send out warmest hugs and heartfelt warmth to everyone grieving. I pray for my friend Catherine, who is overseas and her mother passed close to a month ago. She is working hard out of the country and she did not even bury her mother. Alone in a strange land, she is grappling with the grief and buries herself in her work. I pray for my friend Peace whose daughter is grieving the loss of her father, who was found dead in his house. The little girl who was close to her father is seeing a therapist to help ease the grieving process.
I send hugs to the mother who had a still birth. Only you know and understand your grief and frustration. You have many questions and no answers. You do not want to see the next day. To the mother who lost her daughter, while giving birth, may God give you strength to cope because every time you see the twin baby boys, you wonder how in the world they will survive.
May God comfort us all. May we find shelter in the shadow of His great wings. May we feel Him wipe away the many tears and may we experience the mending of hearts that can only come by heaven.
Everyone’s journey is personal and different. Everyone has their questions. But I truly pray that you find the grace to take one moment at a time. I pray for understanding friends and relatives to walk with you. May God help us all.
