Baggage

From a Wounded Warrior notepad:

The greatest casualty is being forgotten.

When I was young, I lost my mom. I did not understand much but one thing puzzled me the most. I could not comprehend how the world continued to spin and life just moved on. 

I was surrounded by attentive family and friends for a few days, but once everyone left, no one mentioned my mom’s name again.

As a kid it was like losing her little-by-little each day. Eventually she completely disappeared. I did not know how to handle my feelings.

So…I learned to bury them.

Each loss faced found its way to that growing mass of unresolved things. Each addition made it harder for me to carry that growing stockpile with me. The carefully arranged stacks began to crumble and so did I.

I knew I had to tear apart the piles that were beginning to control my life. I had to learn a way to make sense of loss.

It has been a long process. My blogs have helped to clear up some of the clutter in my head and enabled me to share my progress. 

Thank you for hanging with me while I explored and eventually found my way through the clutter. Sometimes, even when you are afraid and unsure, you just gotta let go and let God answer your prayers.

Trust in Him and yourself.

Peace.

 

 

A Season of Reflection

 
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up,”
Christine J. Collins 
 

This has been in my season of reflection.

I have been studying my past in order to understand myself now. As I pull the past and present together, I see my future as well as any human can in our uncertain world.  

I’ve torn down, I’ve rebuilt. I’ve laughed and I’ve cried, mourning precious lost souls gone far too soon. 

Now is time to gather my stories in order to share and heal. 

This is for each of you… 

The ones who have fought some difficult battles.

The ones who are currently navigating grief and loss.

The ones who are healing.

The ones who have healed.

The ones who feel alone.

The ones who help those who are alone.

The ones who are scared.

The ones who share their truth no matter how hard it might be.

The ones who love unconditionally.

The ones who are trying to do better.

The ones who do the work.

The ones who are growing and evolving every day.

The ones who help others because someone helped you.

The ones who can’t stop crying.

The ones who extend a hand to others.

The ones who accept the extended hand.

You are brave, you are stronger than you know… and please know… you are not alone. We are all in this together and I whisper to each of you, “you got this.”

xoxox

“Gabby,” Gabrielle Jimenez, Hospice Nurse,

God bless and peace be with us all.