I've been on the road speaking this week at Girls Night Out events around Western Ontario.
And I am tired!
But also invigorated. It's great to talk to so many women, and it's great to be able to feel as if God is using me.
One thing that always amazes me each time I speak about my experiences is how many other women have also lost children. It seems that the sad sorority is larger than we would think.
Last week I also received an email back from a family who had lost a child. A friend of mine had forwarded my column "A Prayer Through Tears" on, and this is what the grieving dad said (his daughter was murdered in August):
Thanks for the birthday card, and particularly for the "Prayer Through Tears" column that you sent along with it. We have had difficulty putting into words, the absolute sorrow, heartbreak and devastation that we have been living through since Sarah died. Unfortunately, it hasn't really gotten any better. If anything, the sadness has deepened as the shock wore off and the reality set in. The article from Sheila described our state so accurately, and it was almost comforting to read that someone else is experiencing the same feelings - like we're not alone in this "horrible fraternity of grieving parents".
The same day that a friend forwarded me that email another friend forwarded me this one, after she lent my book How Big Is Your Umbrella out to another friend who was hurting:
Thank you my dear and thoughtful friend for sending me "How Big Is Your Umbrella". It could not have been more appropriate. I asked every single one of those self-pitying questions and it was incredibly helpful to read the author's own experience with this quest for answers to questions that really rely on faith and trust in God.
On this road to self discovery, I am just hitting so many bumps and obstacles that I don't know how to wrap my brain around it all. But thanks to good friends like you, I don't feel so alone and am blessed to be reminded of God's love and plan for me. I just want you to know that it hit all the right notes, even though I am still grappling with the process.
I'm really humbled that God can use these things that I wrote like that. But I think what both emails said to me is that often when someone we know is hurting we don't know what to say, and we don't want to interfere, but we do nothing. Both of these friends tried to forward something that they thought would help, and it did. So if God is nudging you to send a friend something, do it. Don't wait. I think we hesitate too much, and then we lose the chance to bless someone!
When we lost our first born, I was surprised how many people came forward and told me about losing a child. I was stunned....all these people I knew who had gone through such a horrible thing.
I've saved several of your articles because unfortunately, there will eventually be a grieving parent who I will want to send it to. Your talent is a blessing. Thank you for using it so well.
About Me: I'm a Christian author of a bunch of books, and a frequent speaker to women's groups and marriage conferences. Best of all, I love homeschooling my daughters, Rebecca and Katie. And I love to knit. Preferably simultaneously.
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When we lost our first born, I was surprised how many people came forward and told me about losing a child. I was stunned....all these people I knew who had gone through such a horrible thing.
I've saved several of your articles because unfortunately, there will eventually be a grieving parent who I will want to send it to. Your talent is a blessing. Thank you for using it so well.