| One of Many © Ferna Lary Mills |
My heart goes out to the people in Central Florida who have suffered damage, injury or
loss this weekend during the terrible storms. Watching the devastation unfold on the
news, I'm struck by one central thought: with all of the devastation, some people losing
loved ones, others losing everything they owned in life, their spirit still remains strong!
In each interview, I hear the same words repeated: "We're alive, nothing else matters."
"We just have to do what has to be done now and get on with our lives." There's a
sense of gratefulness, even in their loss, and a sense of faith that although it's unknown
"why" this occurred, that "God is good and we will get beyond this."
The capacity of the human spirit never ceases to amaze me. Through the events of 911
and Katrina, and other major events in both our national and international news, this
spirit always seems to shine through the devastation. So I'm left wondering, WHY is this
spirit so hard to revive after the death of a loved one when it's just us?When it's not a
national disaster, or a disaster involving so many other lives? When we, as one soul,
have lost the love of our life, where is this rejuvenation of our spirit, our faith, and our
will? Whey are we not as "one", like the "many" in a major disaster?
I've reached the conclusion that there is but one major difference. When we, as a single
"one", lose a loved one, all we can see is our tremendous loss. We become blinded to
everything else. But in a major disaster, although we have suffered a loss, it's so easy to
look around and see that there are so many others hurting, too. Many, it's easy to see,
have suffered much greater losses than our own. It doesn't really lessen our loss, but it
does give us a greater perspective. We are not the only ones hurting. We are not the
only ones victimized by grief. We see others who have suffered greater than us and
lesser than us, but it makes us realize that through all of it, we are not alone. Maybe
that is the greatest reason that a loss to us as "one" is so much more difficult to pull
ourselves out of, than a loss to us as a multitude.
So, for those of you who are grieving a loss of a loved one right now, a loss to you, as
"one", let me remind you . . . you are NOT alone. Yes, you are the only one who is
suffering from your own personal loss, but you are not alone in your grief. If you go to
Google and type in grief stories, you will find there are more than 1.8 million pages of
them online. Here at Rainbow Faith, we had more than 150,000 visitors to this website
last year alone.
No. You are not definitely NOT alone. You are not walking through the rubble with all of
your neighbors as the residents in Central Florida are doing, but you are walking
through grief with literally MILLIONS of other citizens across this great nation, at any day
of the year. Whether you have lost your spouse, a child, a parent, a friend ... grief is
grief, and that same grief is experienced in every household in the world, at one time or
another.
If residents of a community can pull together in a time of crisis, can we all pull together
as a community in our time of grief? What can you do? That's the easiest part of all. For
example, where did you go this week? To the grocery store? To church? To the
mailbox? How many people did you come into contact with along the way? How many
did you offer a smile... or a gentle word of kindness... or a word of encouragement? Do
you know for a fact that not one person you met this week is grieving just as you are?
After all, didn't see them wearing a sign on their heads as a sign that they are in
mourning? Don't you wear a sign on your head? (I would hope not.) So, can you be so
absolutely certain that the people you meet aren't grieving too? Not one of them? How
can you know? Well, you can't.
Let us all pull together, as those beautiful spirits in Central Florida are doing during their
crisis, and draw from each other's faith ... each other's strength. Let us remember to pray
for one another... to encourage one another ... and as Jesus said, "bear one another's
burdens." Can you imagine the prayers of 135,000 visitors to this web site if we all
prayed for one another? Can you imagine the results of those prayers?
Remember the capacity of the human spirit. You are not just "one". You are one, of
many.
May God bless you this week and lead you into the path of others whom you can
encourage with a simple smile, and may He lead others into your path to encourage you
when it's needed the most. In the words of a Central Florida resident, "God IS Good."
God bless you and bring you Peace. ~ Ferna
loss this weekend during the terrible storms. Watching the devastation unfold on the
news, I'm struck by one central thought: with all of the devastation, some people losing
loved ones, others losing everything they owned in life, their spirit still remains strong!
In each interview, I hear the same words repeated: "We're alive, nothing else matters."
"We just have to do what has to be done now and get on with our lives." There's a
sense of gratefulness, even in their loss, and a sense of faith that although it's unknown
"why" this occurred, that "God is good and we will get beyond this."
The capacity of the human spirit never ceases to amaze me. Through the events of 911
and Katrina, and other major events in both our national and international news, this
spirit always seems to shine through the devastation. So I'm left wondering, WHY is this
spirit so hard to revive after the death of a loved one when it's just us?When it's not a
national disaster, or a disaster involving so many other lives? When we, as one soul,
have lost the love of our life, where is this rejuvenation of our spirit, our faith, and our
will? Whey are we not as "one", like the "many" in a major disaster?
I've reached the conclusion that there is but one major difference. When we, as a single
"one", lose a loved one, all we can see is our tremendous loss. We become blinded to
everything else. But in a major disaster, although we have suffered a loss, it's so easy to
look around and see that there are so many others hurting, too. Many, it's easy to see,
have suffered much greater losses than our own. It doesn't really lessen our loss, but it
does give us a greater perspective. We are not the only ones hurting. We are not the
only ones victimized by grief. We see others who have suffered greater than us and
lesser than us, but it makes us realize that through all of it, we are not alone. Maybe
that is the greatest reason that a loss to us as "one" is so much more difficult to pull
ourselves out of, than a loss to us as a multitude.
So, for those of you who are grieving a loss of a loved one right now, a loss to you, as
"one", let me remind you . . . you are NOT alone. Yes, you are the only one who is
suffering from your own personal loss, but you are not alone in your grief. If you go to
Google and type in grief stories, you will find there are more than 1.8 million pages of
them online. Here at Rainbow Faith, we had more than 150,000 visitors to this website
last year alone.
No. You are not definitely NOT alone. You are not walking through the rubble with all of
your neighbors as the residents in Central Florida are doing, but you are walking
through grief with literally MILLIONS of other citizens across this great nation, at any day
of the year. Whether you have lost your spouse, a child, a parent, a friend ... grief is
grief, and that same grief is experienced in every household in the world, at one time or
another.
If residents of a community can pull together in a time of crisis, can we all pull together
as a community in our time of grief? What can you do? That's the easiest part of all. For
example, where did you go this week? To the grocery store? To church? To the
mailbox? How many people did you come into contact with along the way? How many
did you offer a smile... or a gentle word of kindness... or a word of encouragement? Do
you know for a fact that not one person you met this week is grieving just as you are?
After all, didn't see them wearing a sign on their heads as a sign that they are in
mourning? Don't you wear a sign on your head? (I would hope not.) So, can you be so
absolutely certain that the people you meet aren't grieving too? Not one of them? How
can you know? Well, you can't.
Let us all pull together, as those beautiful spirits in Central Florida are doing during their
crisis, and draw from each other's faith ... each other's strength. Let us remember to pray
for one another... to encourage one another ... and as Jesus said, "bear one another's
burdens." Can you imagine the prayers of 135,000 visitors to this web site if we all
prayed for one another? Can you imagine the results of those prayers?
Remember the capacity of the human spirit. You are not just "one". You are one, of
many.
May God bless you this week and lead you into the path of others whom you can
encourage with a simple smile, and may He lead others into your path to encourage you
when it's needed the most. In the words of a Central Florida resident, "God IS Good."
God bless you and bring you Peace. ~ Ferna
| A Christian Grief Ministry |
Life After Loss |