Not Alone

This post is a long time coming, but a few really crazy things have gone down this March 2012.

Well, I lost my daddy about a month ago, and that has changed everything.  I'm still living in the same town, working the same job, doing the same routine, but everything is different.  I don't know where I'll be in 6 months...I don't even know what tomorrow looks like.  If I have learned anything in the last year, it is that nothing is guaranteed.  I have no idea what any given day may hold.

The hardest part of this loss is that nobody's life changed except for my family's and mine.  And my family isn't with me in Raleigh. People are sad, but nobody else lost their umbrella of protection when my dad died.  Just me.  So when my Life Class from church reached out to help me bear the weight of this loss in such amazing ways, I was overwhelmed with gratitude. These exceptional people have provided meals, friendship, and love in ways that I never could have asked for.  The support and affirmation from this church body has encouraged me and given me strength when I didn't have anything left.  The worst is far from over.  Truthfully, the hurt seems to get worse everyday - but I know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I am cared for and loved.  I am provided for and prayed for.  I am not alone.

This is not to say that there haven't been so many others of you who have made this journey so much more bearable.  Every card, every post, every email, every text, every comment makes a world of difference.  Prayers for my family are the most important and have not gone unnoticed.  THANK YOU for all you've done for us.  There truly aren't words for what my heart wants to say. So thank you.  Thank you for being a light to remember when it feels like there will only be darkness. Thank you for being an ear to listen when I'm crying and almost out of hope.  Thank you for your patience as I grieve and heal.  Thank you for reminding my family that we are not alone in our loss and that this earth is not forever and that there is so much more - there is ceaseless joy - waiting for us for eternity. Thank you.

Oh, hey...and P.S. Big Brother got MARRIED!! And now I have a first ever SISTER!  So happy for this couple!