May 17
His Greatest Loss
Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will preserve me ... The LORD will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever. Don’t abandon me....
Psalm 138:7-8 (NLT)
"I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV)
At 52 years of age, I had never seen my father cry. Never! Well ... at least not until his 91st birthday last month. It happened when we were sitting at a table in his favorite German restaurant—all six of us huddled over a pile of gifts. Dad was opening his last gift ... and he froze. About a minute later, there it was—a lone tear. It looked like a tiny piece of crystal leaving a clear trail on his cheek. I was spellbound. What was this?
My mother says she can remember Dad crying only once. It was at his aunt’s funeral, before I was born, so this was a first. Well anyway, what caused the tear? It was a picture of his mother. My sister discovered it hidden away in an old box and had the photo restored for his special day.
You can see a lot in this picture. My grandmother looks strong, healthy ... and so kind. Mmm. She was a good woman, but the tumor in her brain forced her to leave my dad with his dear aunt. So my grandmother left him in America and sailed back to Sweden ... where she soon died. Can you imagine? What a loss.
I don’t know what was running through my father’s mind last month, but I think I understand what he was feeling—the reality of losing someone so dear, so precious. Feelings can sometimes be overwhelming. Still, I can’t quite fathom what my grandma was feeling. I picture my grandma standing at the ship’s rail, bracing against the cold, salt air at her back, and watching the Statue of Liberty fade from view. All the while knowing she would never see her boy again. What heartache....
Sometimes pictures and memories are overpowering. It hit my dad at his party, and I’ve felt this too. When life’s realities sit on us, knock the wind out of us, and we don’t think we’ll survive, but we do. My father did, and we can too, because there’s good news for us today. No matter what life throws at us, we are not abandoned ... and we never will be....
Father, thank You for friends and family who help us through the rough spots. And thank You ... for always being there....
His Greatest Loss
Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will preserve me ... The LORD will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever. Don’t abandon me....
Psalm 138:7-8 (NLT)
"I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV)
At 52 years of age, I had never seen my father cry. Never! Well ... at least not until his 91st birthday last month. It happened when we were sitting at a table in his favorite German restaurant—all six of us huddled over a pile of gifts. Dad was opening his last gift ... and he froze. About a minute later, there it was—a lone tear. It looked like a tiny piece of crystal leaving a clear trail on his cheek. I was spellbound. What was this?
My mother says she can remember Dad crying only once. It was at his aunt’s funeral, before I was born, so this was a first. Well anyway, what caused the tear? It was a picture of his mother. My sister discovered it hidden away in an old box and had the photo restored for his special day.
You can see a lot in this picture. My grandmother looks strong, healthy ... and so kind. Mmm. She was a good woman, but the tumor in her brain forced her to leave my dad with his dear aunt. So my grandmother left him in America and sailed back to Sweden ... where she soon died. Can you imagine? What a loss.
I don’t know what was running through my father’s mind last month, but I think I understand what he was feeling—the reality of losing someone so dear, so precious. Feelings can sometimes be overwhelming. Still, I can’t quite fathom what my grandma was feeling. I picture my grandma standing at the ship’s rail, bracing against the cold, salt air at her back, and watching the Statue of Liberty fade from view. All the while knowing she would never see her boy again. What heartache....
Sometimes pictures and memories are overpowering. It hit my dad at his party, and I’ve felt this too. When life’s realities sit on us, knock the wind out of us, and we don’t think we’ll survive, but we do. My father did, and we can too, because there’s good news for us today. No matter what life throws at us, we are not abandoned ... and we never will be....
Father, thank You for friends and family who help us through the rough spots. And thank You ... for always being there....
posted by Craig Soderquist at 5:35 AM
<< Home