Madonna in Sorrow
by Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato1
Heaven's Colors
Looking back you will see that every step was planned. Leave all to Me. Each stone in the
mosaic fits into the perfect pattern, designed by the Master Artist. It is all so wonderful! But the colors are of
Heaven's hues, so that your eyes could not bear to gaze on the whole, until you are beyond the veil. So, stone by
stone, you see, and trust the pattern to the Designer.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him,
and saved him out of all his troubles.
(Psalm 34:6)
My power is made
perfect in weakness.
- Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own
understanding
- The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in
spirit.
- My grace is sufficient for you … for my power is made perfect
in weakness.
The Voiceless Cry
Jesus, hear us,
and let our cry come unto Thee.
That voiceless cry, that comes from anguished hearts, is heard above all the music of Heaven.
It is not the arguments of theologians that solve the problems of a questioning heart, but the cry of that heart to Me,
and the certainty that I have heard.
Hear the right, O Lord,
attend unto my cry,
give ear unto my prayer,
that goeth not out of feigned lips.
(Psalm 17:1)
The Soul Still Sings
The soul still sings in the darkness telling of the
beauty she found there; and daring us not to think that because she passed through such tortures of anguish, doubt,
dread, and horror, as has been said, she ran any the more danger of being lost in the night. Nay, in the darkness did
she, rather, find herself.
The Tapestry of My Life
My life is but a weaving
Between my Lord and me.
I cannot choose the colors
He works so steadily.
Oft times He weaves in sorrow
And I, in foolish pride,
Forget He see the upper
And I, the underside.
Not till the loom is silent
And the shuttle ceases to fly,
Will God unroll the tapestry
And explain the reasons why.
The dark threads are as needed
In the Weaver's skillful hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.
Rehoboam - Abijah
(edited: texture added)
by Michelangelo Buonarroti4
Our Beloved Children
In this beautiful universe our Lord did provide,
It is difficult to realize that there can be,
Such sadness as to the loss of our beloved children,
In such horrendous acts that we see.
We can only hope, understanding was not theirs
In those few terrifying moments as they fell
Before our dear Lord swept them up in His arms
To become His beautiful and precious little angels.
The anguish a parent goes thru in the loss
Of a child, in any manner, is beyond comprehension.
It is most often our belief, that we depart before them
To greet our loved ones at their allotted time of redemption.
Tragedies such as we have recently seen
Thankfully do not happen every day.
The wrath of the tormented minds that display such anger,
Leaves us shaken, with words unable to say.
Our journey in life is to love and help one another.
We can, with this belief in mind,
Be there in prayer for those in such times of strife,
To show God's intensive love thru all time.
The Final Stage Of Grief - Resurrection
The Resurrection of Lazareth
by Jean-Baptiste Jouvenet2
“I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve,
but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby
is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time
of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your
joy."
Artist Unknown
(edited: texture added)3
The Last Time
If I knew it would be the last time
That I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.
If I knew it would be the last time
that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
and call you back for one more.
If I knew it would be the last time
I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and word,
so I could play them back day after day.
If I knew it would be the last time,
I could spare an extra minute
to stop and say "I love you,"
instead of assuming you would KNOW I do.
If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
well I'm sure you'll have so many more,
so I can let just this one slip away.
For surely there's always tomorrow
to make up for an oversight,
and we always get a second chance
to make everything just right.
There will always be another day
to say "I love you," and certainly there's
another chance to say our "Anything I can do?"
But just in case I might be wrong,
and today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you
and I hope we never forget.
Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
you get to hold your loved one tight.
So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
you'll surely regret the day,
That you didn't take that extra time
for a smile, a hug, or a kiss
and you were too busy to grant someone,
what turned out to be their one last wish.
So hold your loved ones close today,
and whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
and that you'll always hold them dear
Take time to say "I'm sorry,"
"Please forgive me," "Thank you," or "It's okay."
And if tomorrow never comes,
you'll have no regrets about today.
On Independence
Independence is something we all prize. This is one of our earliest accomplishments.
In childhood we cherish being able to control our lives. The more autonomous we are the better we feel about ourselves.
… We believe we can do everything and everything is possible. What happens when the bottom falls out of our plans?
Even though we may take some pride in our capability, the fact is that we are very limited.
We exclude much more than we include. We don't usually allow ourselves to anticipate what life will be like when
a death occurs. We don't consider all the problems that we will face and the range emotions that will
occur.
Glimmers of God's Grace
Even in the darkest of moments, you can find clear signs of God’s presence and love. The apostle Paul says it this way.
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). We are
called to be thankful in every situation.
This doesn’t mean that you will always be thankful for what you are going through,
but it does mean that you can be thankful for what God is giving you to sustain you in your grief. In your darkness,
there are always little lights of God’s grace and love to be found. Search for those lights. Pay attention to the good
things God is doing, even in this dark moment, so your grief can be mixed with heartfelt
gratitude.
In Golden Hues
It was just a chance meeting. The kind of thing we ignore. Two people, two strangers,
passing on a city street. I didn't know her. I don't know her still. She was in her eighties. I was barely thirty.
So many years have passed. I'm sure she is gone, but I remember her still.
Her face was covered with the fine lines of experience: character traits found only in facing
life's demands. These were the lines of joy and sorrow, of celebrations and tears, like a Florentine finish on a
master's canvas, like the aged beauty of a work of art.
I didn't know her. I don't know her still. It was not a matter of words or greetings,
gestures or conversation: it was the exchange of souls. Her eyes sparkled, full of color, full of light – not beaten
down in resignation, but wise and gentle, better and stronger for all she had seen and known. Adversity had left its
mark, and it glistened in golden hues.
I didn't know her. I don't know her still. What was it she had faced? What had she endured?
What wisdom was learned? What truth revealed? Perhaps, that which can only be known and explained
within.
