For Sunday reading I would like to print the other part of what I shared yesterday. I assume it is by the same author but at any rate……it is not original from me. I know there are many people out in cyber land who are hurting, grieving and feeling their life has ended because they have lost a loved one. I can tell you for sure, it is going to change, but it is not over. There is still much you and I can do for the cause of living a life to honor our loved one………………….

A FINAL WORD

The time of loss is a time you will not forget. It is a time that is breaking you open and re-shaping you. You will never be the same.

Remember: you can shape this time, even as it shapes you. You are not powerless. You are not entirely at the mercy of whatever has happened to you. It may feel that way to you at the moment. You may wonder if you’ll ever regain control of your life.

The truth is this: you will and you won’t, and that’s good.

You will regain more control over your life with the passing of time and in the living of your days. Your hurt will decrease. Your feelings of emptiness will subside. You’ll be able to look back and see the happiness. You’ll find yourself starting to look forward and to feel more hopeful. You’ll sense you’re more yourself.

And, at the same time, you won’t regain control. For you’re coming to know that ultimately much of life is beyond your control, and beyond anyone’s control. It can be lived, but it cannot be contained. It can be appreciated, but it cannot be narrowly confined. It can be embraced, but it cannot be held too tightly. For life ultimately is a gift. It comes from far beyond you, and that is also it’s destiny.

May the experiences you are living through help you toward those realizations. May you be on the path of living your life for all it’s worth. And never forget: it’s worth a great deal. (copied)
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For most of us, we know where we have been and where we are now and where we hope to go in the future……the only problem is that we are not guaranteed any tomorrows. My father-in-law was elderly and always said, “Tomorrow, I will do thus and so, if the Lord wills.” I found that strange as a young woman but now that I am well along the senior path, I understand what he meant. Our tomorrows are not for us to decide but rather belong to God who is constantly shaping us and molding us for His purpose. We need to be grateful for all of our yesterdays and for today but the tomorrows are in His hand to be lived for His good.

He will provide for the journey and we need to learn as we take each step. Life is after all a learning experience and how we live it is where character comes into play. Every phase of our life is a one-time shot. From childhood to adult, marriage and children, grand-children and old age, we are on a trial-run for it all. By the time we have it down pretty good, the next phase is upon us. The truth is, we are all in “stages” from the cradle to the grave.

Just remember, there is something to be learned from every success or setback and it helps if we gratefully acknowledge the good times and grow from the bad. God will always bring us through with a better understanding.

That’s just the way it works…….I didn’t make the rules.

Until the next time, I am,
Essentially Esther