Dear Newly Bereaved Mom,
I wish I could fix this for you. But there is no fix for this. I know. I’ve been right where you are now.
I wish I could offer comforting words that would make your pain disappear and restore color and warmth to your cold, gray world. But I know that words are trite and hollow compared to the magnitude of your loss.
I suspect that once everyone else returns to the mantle of life, you, like me, will feel your child’s loss deeply. You’ll go where he went, listen to his favorite music, read every word he penned, and try to inhale the scent that was uniquely his in his dirty shirts. You will want to crawl inside his head any way you possibly can. But fear not, Mom. You will always be his mother, and he will always be your child. I promise you: you won’t forget him.
It seems to take forever to adjust to the absence of someone you love with all your soul. And it’s hard to accept that we may never know why God allowed this to happen.
Please don’t let anyone tell you that your faith will enable you to bounce back readily from your child’s death. People who’ve not buried a child have no clue. Whether your faith is big or small, you must take time to grieve. Quite frankly, a child’s death is a hot crucible in which your faith will be slowly and painfully refined.
Sometimes, it may feel like God is very distant. But the reality is that He’s closer than your skin. When you’re unable to pray, He hears your groans. He’s a mighty powerful God.
So will you let me tell you? When you think you are too weak, too sick, or too depressed to crawl out from under the covers and face one more day, know that God will breathe life back into you and give you the grit and grace to take one breath at a time … one step at a time … one day at a time.
God’s got you, grieving mom. And we are many who are praying for you every single day.
A Prayer for You …
Abba,
Please expedite the grief of the mom who is reading this now. Let her rest soundly at night. Send her a good support system – people who listen well and put love into action. Father, let her know that she is never alone and that you love her furiously.
Amen.