Grief is hard. The constant pain in your heart, the deep emptiness, and the endless tears that fall from your eyes are present through grief. I know the pain that comes with this season of life. It is always present and always painful. But despite this season of grief, you can still be grateful.
About seven years ago I had the worst year of my life. In February, shortly after the New Year, our beloved dog passed away from cancer. She is a very sweet dog and she was always loyal to us. Even on the worst of days she was ready to greet you with her joyful eyes and wagging tail.Our dog is Scottish Her Terrier Her Beagle Her mix and has been around since childhood and spent most of her teenage years with us. If you have pets, you know how family they become to you. When they die, it’s like a knife to the heart that can never be taken away.
Our dog’s name was Beauty.Our mom named her Black Beauty after her classic book black horse story, but we always called her Beauty for short. All through elementary school, the topic of beauty was flying among my friends, and everyone wanted to see my furry friend. She was always kind and never tried to bite anyone. The only time she growled was when you tried to take her bones, so we learned from an early age not to mess with her while she was nibbling on her bones. Other than that, Beauty was always ready to give you love and play.
My sister often got sick and broke her bones, so she had to rest a lot. Her beauty was her constant companion and stayed with her throughout her illness and healing, she was actually her older sister and Beauty were best friends. After Beauty’s death, I think her sister hurt the most. After Beauty’s death, I was going through grief and pain, but nothing compared to her sister’s grief, she fell into a deep depression and didn’t want to do anything. I completely understand her pain and she did at the time. Does her beauty’s death still make us cry?Of course we loved her so she’s not here anymore but she was grateful for all the time we spent with her. I’m here.
We can thank God for letting individuals and furry friends into our lives, even if it’s just for a short time, so we can thank God during the season of grief. and learned the unconditional love that comes from pets. Dogs love you just because you are you. This also applies to beauty, and I know it applies to many other dogs and furry friends around the world.
Gratitude doesn’t mean you’re happy, but it means you’re grateful for the time you were able to spend with your loved ones. experienced the first season of grief. Honestly, I’m not sure I can shake it because of the love Beauty had for us and her knowledge that we’ll never see her again in this life. I can appreciate the time I spent with Beauty while feeling sad. In the same way, despite this season of sorrow, you can still be grateful.
more pain and death
In hindsight, Beauty’s death served as a preparation for what was to come next. About eight months after Beauty died, his mother passed away. Although she was young, for several years she had heart problems. We had hoped her condition was improving, but she was on her way to worsening. My mother had to stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) for 10 days before God called her home. Those ten days felt like an eternity. Seeing your mother in the hospital with a machine pumping to keep her heart beating is something no one wants to experience.
To say the least, it was traumatic, and worse, the death was provocative. The strongest woman I ever knew was on life support in ICU. Her mother came to her senses at times, and she was able to talk to her a few times, but she didn’t know that her mother would never come home to her. She remembers the day her mother went to the hospital like it was yesterday. Her father pulled the car down and took her to the hospital, but I was the only one awake. My mother told me everything would be fine and I needed to go to sleep.
When I saw my mother standing on the porch that morning, something told me she wouldn’t be coming home. This will be the last time. Or at least in her earthly home. That morning I never fell asleep again, but instead began praying that my mother would get better and that everything would be okay. The sorrow will never stop.
It’s not just grieving the loss of a loved one. because it grieves your mother. It also grieves the pain of all the memories you will never make with her. , never shared or shared the privilege of knowing my mother better as I grew older. I can also thank you for all the time, all the love, and all the lessons.
Just like a person who needs shelter from the rain is wet and suffering from the cold, being grateful doesn’t mean that the person doesn’t appreciate the umbrella. In the same way, even if we are deeply saddened, we are not incapable of gratitude. You can be grateful for all the memories and times spent with your loved ones. I can’t remember where, but I read somewhere that the greater the grief, the greater the love for that person. Your grief is not something to be ashamed of, and it will not heal overnight.
If you are grieving today, know that you can still be grateful. Remember all the good times you had with your loved ones and all the lessons they shared with you. We can turn to God in sorrow and find support in His love. Death was not in God’s plan for us. But after the fall death came because of sin. But because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we have eternal life and can share this good news with those we love.
Choose to be grateful and remember all the things you are grateful for for your loved ones.
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Photo credit: ©Unsplash/Riccardo Mion
Vivian Bricker Help those who love Jesus, learn the Word of God, and walk with Christ. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Ministry of Christianity with an emphasis on theology. Her favorite things to do are spending time with her family and friends, reading, and spending time outside. When she’s not writing, she’s embarking on other adventures.
