Reflections From a Country Girl

I was out with friends last night for a bite to eat and some good conversation.  There were five of us.  It occurred to me when I was sitting there that these folks stepped in and out of my life at different times and for different reasons over the past ten years…one stepped back in as recently as a month ago.  All of them are great people and have various talents and interests.  All of them, like me, have weaknesses and vulnerabilities that come and go, too.  

We got on the subject of the “Funky Winkerbean” cartoon Sunday in the paper.  Two guys are working on a speaker system…one talking…says he thinks a great deal about the old days lately….he missed the days when everything was bright and shiny…”then one day the road you’re following suddenly turns and you find yourself somewhere you never planned to be.” He finishes off his cartoon by saying….”what I need is a GPS system for life.”  

One of our group really connected with that cartoon so much that he cut it out of the paper and put it on the frig. He said the cartoonist must have had a similar experience to him.

I got hold of that cartoon after I got home last night.  Looking at it more closely, I noticed a website called – lisaslegacyfund.org. I discovered the cartoonist had someone in his life that had cancer…and he wanted to share that experience with others.  On the site, he encourages others to connect with the Ireland Cancer Center – a place that played a big part in Lisa’s Story – The Other Shoe. The cartoonist said that – through this book – he has been able to process his grief in a very personal and meaningful way. He said that, indeed, it has even made him a better writer. 

 

I suspect many of us have a story to tell about a loved one now gone.  We talked about how a Spartanburg couple – both married for the second time after losing spouses to cancer – have pictures of both the husband and wife in their home in a place of honor.  It’s a blended family and those pictures represent the places they all have in their hearts for their deceased loved ones as well as the hopes they have for their children to embrace the memories as they grow and thrive into adulthood. 

It’s a special circumstance that allows those two blended families to savor the past and embrace the future together. It’s a tribute to them that they have been able to appreciate the past and still go on to find meaning and joy in life after the pain of losing a soul mate.  

Yes, there are many of us that experience these life lessons – much earlier than we wanted to – granted.  Even though we know death is a big part of life…when it comes sooner than we want it to…and anytime is too soon for most of us…then it takes us back a little in our joys of living and makes us realize that we have little control over things…really. 

Last night – when we left the restaurant – we noticed a magnificent full moon in a clear, crisp sky….guiding the way for those in the dark night…a GPS system from mother nature.

I suspect there are many GPS systems out there for us to grab hold of to find our way.  Our friends guide us, sometimes pull us, and other times carry us. Sometimes our family and our faith does the same.  Even mother nature offers a few surprises that, indeed, hope is there for all of us to be happy in ourselves and in others we enjoy being with. 

My wish for you today is that, if and when you find yourself dealing with the loss of a loved one, you search for comfort and strength within yourself, through your friends and family, and through your faith.  Find support in the simple things and embrace the love, laughter and comfort of those who care deeply for you.  You never have to go it alone.  

 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 at 4:51:am and is filed under Death, Faith, Friendship, illness, Living Life to the Fullest, Releationships - general. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.