Dear friends,
During the week, sadly, we lost Audrey Lovrick, Ken Gibbons, and Joe Crofts from our faith community. Our prayers are with their families.
Our Christian faith teaches us that death is the end of our human life on earth, but it is not the end of our journey with God. It is a day we fix our eyes on Christ Jesus. It is a day we find hope from the eternal love of God. However, we also recognize our need to grieve. We grieve that they will not be with us physically. We grieve because we will miss their smile, kindness, and friendship. We also grieve for not being able to grieve together as a community. Grief is real. Its pain and emotions can be very overwhelming.
From my own grief journey, I have learned a few lessons.
First, I have learned that grief is a process. We need time to grieve. I am not saying that we only need time, but we need time to grieve. We need time to be silent, share, listen, speak, cry, laugh, reflect and pray. We have to be patient with our struggles and feelings.
Second, I have learned that we need to remember our loved ones fully. So often, when we are in grief, we pay so much attention to the time when our loved ones died, yet forget about the days when our loved ones lived. Grief is not just about recognizing sadness in our hearts but also discovering the happiness and joy in our hearts.
Third, I have learned that we are not alone. So often, we think no one understands our pain and struggles. But my experience has taught me that everyone knows what it is like to lose someone and something significant to them. Although some are better at listening than others, we have people around us who are ready to be there for us. We are here for each other. I am also here when you need someone to pray with. That is why we have our faith community. We are very grateful to have this caring faith community in Guildwood.
Please join us in our prayers for Audrey, Ken, Joe, their families, and all of us.
Rev. Chuck Moon
A version of this message first appeared in the Saturday, February 12, 2022, edition of Tidbits.