Last weekend, we received word that Captain Cavedweller’s grandfather had been taken to the hospital. So we dropped everything and made the three+ hour drive to see him.
We were so glad we did. What we didn’t know when we left our house was that he’d suffered a major heart attack that morning and wasn’t expected to survive for long. It was hard to to see everyone struggling to let go, even though it was best for Grandpa. He passed away about thirty minutes after we arrived.
At 88, Grandpa had lived a full life. As the family sat around, sharing memories, I learned some things about him I didn’t know. Like he enlisted right after high school and spent two years in occupied Japan following World War II.
Grief is hard. So hard. But like the quote above says, it is the price we pay for love. The more we love someone, the more we grieve their passing.
But even in the grief, there is still joy: in the the memories of a life well-lived, or family well-loved, of legacies passed down that can’t be taken away even when a loved one is no longer with us.
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Even in the depths of grief, there are glimmers of hope and joy.
I’m a firm believer that even though today might be trying / hard / painful / challenging / etc… something wonderful, something joyful is waiting right around the corner.
And when we switch our mindset from dwelling in what seems like darkness and focus on the light of the joy, our spirits are lifted and our burdens lighten.
May you go forward this week with glimmers of the joy ahead shining brightly in you.
