This last weekend was full of so many emotions that it literally left me exhausted. Our friends recently lost their beautiful son to suicide. The pain of losing a child, they say, is like that of no other. That the method was suicide was beyond unbearable.
Our small group is very close. One night last month, soon after hearing about the terrible loss, we had prayer time. One of our friends, Beth, felt led to share an idea with us after we finished. Since our the grieving family had recently moved out of state and we couldn't be there to hug them, she suggested that we have a quilt or blanket made that would carry the art of the artist for which this child was named. Diane helped with this project, and we all wrote our thoughts on a beautiful quilt square that was donated.
When we offered our gift of love this weekend, the entire room was in tears. I realized then that God had orchestrated this. There was no way that we could have known how much this simple blanket could mean to our dear friends.
I watched throughout the weekend as each person offered their gifts of love. The parents were wrapped with love from the moment they stepped off of the airplane. They were greeted with loving arms, transportation, a soft bed, and comfort food. They were surrounded with prayer and beautiful music. Pastor's words at the services were directly from God and spoke so clearly to their hearts. Meals were made, quiet time was offered, and THE most amazing worship service Sunday morning offered more healing.
I have been blessed with friends that are sensitive to listening to Him. They offer love that is so sincere and caring. I have always known how special my family and church family were, but I truly never saw it so vividly as I did the last few days.
More than anything, I cannot explain the power of God that I was privileged to view. This is a relationship that continues to grow for me. When I saw His hand in the wake of this tragedy, I cannot begin to explain the feeling of peace and love I experienced.
God led Beth to share her vision of the blanket that literally is healing. He shared the song "I Can Only Imagine" along with a beautiful rainbow when our dear friend desperately needed a sign. He allowed for Megan and Ryan to rearrange their schedules to sing along with Ryan A. my favorite song, Beautiful Things, at the memorial service. They have never performed it so beautifully. God brought Kelly McRae and her husband to Cambridge; she, along with Kenny Krona, filling the weekend with more beautiful music. God allowed for Sandy and Judy to put together a perfect worship weekend. Pastor and the guest musicians offered a praise service that had us dancing in the pews (and we're Lutheran! :) ).
Relationships with friends, with family, and with my God--life really can't get any better. I thank Him for taking something so horrible and changing it into a beautiful, healing time.
Blessings...
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