Riding the Waves

Our family has no-doubt had what anyone would probably refer to as a "stressful" summer. It was stressful having to watch someone you love so much get weaker, finally go Home - yet be there to cherish the time left and make the most of it. It was stressful to be away from my husband for an extended period - at the same time have our relationship grow closer. It was stressful for the kids to be away from their daddy - yet learn an important life lesson that will forever impact them and their value system by watching their "super hero" take care of their Papa. More than anything, it was an honor that Doug was able to be with his dad as much as he was and that we got to see him, too. This was a time in our lives we knew we couldn't get back and it was done right. Mainly on D's part, but our support was unfailing.

These types of "stresses" are welcome. They are part of life...you know...the root word for LIVING. Time to embrace it, if you aren't already.

You don't always get the opportunity to say "Goodbye" to someone. We aren't guaranteed even tomorrow or the next hour, so I feel we were incredibly blessed that we were given this time and that it wasn't during the school year, etc... . So many reasons why I'm thankful. Stressful? Of course...but only because we loved him so much and we went through so many emotions. This was not the type of stress you necessarily wish away. After all, death is a part of life that none of us escape. Thankfully we have eternal life.

This stress was full of love, concern, compassion, empathy, and sometimes even helplessness. It was what we refer to as "stress" because the emotions often hit us wave-after-wave and changed frequently. As humans, we aren't equipped to handle them without some sense of lost control at one point or another. Regaining your footing is sometimes easier said than done. Friends and family are the ones we count on to toss out a life preserver during these times. They are without a doubt our anchors.

These waves of emotions are something we are lucky enough to have in our time here on Earth. And they truly are "waves" in that each emotion carries you to the next. It's a type of progression we should embrace. If you try and skip past those transition emotions, they inevitably come back and sweep you over every time...right at the knees. And then you risk the undertow. Never a good idea.

Riding and navigating through these waves can be a tricky business if you aren't paying attention. We go through our lives trying to learn when to relax and just let the waves crash into us and when it's time to launch ourselves into the air and dive into them head first. Both can be scary. Both require faith. Good timing is key, but because we aren't perfect creatures...it takes forgiveness. It takes encouragement. It takes some gentle hand-holding sometimes.

You never know when a wave can overtake you and you are desperately reaching up for someone to grab on to. Were you there when they reached their hand up to you?

We all know God works in mysterious ways and I've never been more certain or felt closer to Him and the fact Heaven must be amazing as I have been these past few months. Clay gave D, myself and some close friends a peek inside his eternal world before he journeyed into it. How many people get that opportunity? How often does that really happen where you get to see and experience that? I can't even begin to describe the waves of emotion I felt while he talked to me and others about what he was seeing.

Maybe these types of waves scare people, but I was calmed and excited at the same time to be riding them. Obviously I was sad knowing we were going to miss him terribly, but amazed and literally surrounded with an all-consuming sea of calm and clarity. Like Ben said, "Papa GETS to be in Heaven." True. So true.

Here's to catching a wave and not letting go.