Encouraging words from a mentor

For those of you who don't know, Elisabeth Elliot Gren is my favorite most inspirational author. I love her books and several of them have really impacted my life. I wrote her a letter a couple of weeks ago to let her know how much her life's testimony and her books encouraged and comforted me after losing my sister. I received a gracious and humble reply yesterday. Included in the letter was this poem that I wanted to share with you. It's called He Knows by E Margaret Clarkson.

He knows it all - the winding path,
The sky o'ercast and gray,
The steepness of the mountainside,
The roughness of the way.

He knows it all - the haunting fear,
The doubtings that distress,
The wond'rings and perplexities,
And all the strain and stress.

He knows it all - each troubled thought,
Each anxious wave of care,
And every burden, every grief,
Or cross that thou dost bear.

He knows it all - thy weight of woe,
Thine often tear-dimmed eye,
The stabbing pain, the slow, dull ache,
And sorrow's broken cry.

He knows it all - you are His child,
Thy wounds He takes by choice.
He gave Himself to bring you home,
So trust Him, and rejoice!

I do trust Him, more now than ever before! And though it is the hardest thing to do, I rejoice. I rejoice because I know that my trials have come, "so that my faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:7)

In memory

My mom had assigned to me the difficult task of creating a write-up to place in the paper on the 14th, to memorialize the 1 year mark of my sister's passing. I tried and tried to create something but the words just wouldn't flow. So I asked for some expert assistance from my brother (who is an amazing writer even if he doesn't think so). Now I am so happy that my words wouldn't come. Read this and you'll see why. Hope you don't mind Joey, I just had to share.

Though you are gone, you live on...

You live on in pictures found at the bottom of a drawer.
Each one a treasure - worth a fortune in memories.

You live on in the laughter of your friends and your family,
as we swap our stories and share small pieces of you.

And you live on in our tears, as we weep in your honor.
Our tears mourn your passing.
Our tears celebrate your life.

Yes, you are gone, and yet you live on:

In our hearts...

In our minds...

Forever.

We miss you Meredith.



I couldn't have expressed what's in my heart any more perfectly. Thank you Joey!

Change

Yes, I'm finally writing my second blog. I know it's been over a month, but I never said I'd be a diligent blogger. Anyway, I'm home from work and thinking about the fact that tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Honestly, this Thanksgiving is going to be a downer. Things are going to be way different than they've ever been, which makes everything weird. Number one, my sister isn't going to be there. Thanksgiving was the last holiday our family shared together before Meredith was killed in December. I'm going to try not to focus on the fact that she's not there (my whole family will) but it's going to be in the back of my head. Then, we have to deal with the fact that my grandmother is so sick from breast cancer that she can't even cook. We're having the meal provided by a local church. I'm so grateful that the church is so lovingly serving us, but hey, nothing is like my nana's cheese and macaroni or her dressing. My heart just aches for the past so much. Change is so hard to get used to, and that's all life is - one big change.