Life style choices directly impacts our ability to process grief and sorrow

Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 1 Corinthians 6:19

Grieving over the loss of a loved one takes incredibly hard work and in time this grief can take it's toll on our bodies. As we grieve we take less and less time for good things in life that keep us alive. We exercise less and we eat more of what I refer to as the 'comfort foods' of life. High starches, high sugars, high fats are some of the foods that momentarily give you a lift in how you feel, but over the long term they can aggravate your grieving process by keeping you feeling depressed.

Over the course of several months I have been touched by a number of people who regularly exercise and maintain a diet of natural foods like Vegetables, proteins, and fruits. To a person who is grieving and subsisting on a diet of processed foods those foods have very little appeal. Why? Because we have been taught that when we are 'blue' to eat a cookie, or a Mcdonald's hamburger with some french fries. We were that this was the way to processed bad feelings since we were little when our parents gave us a cookie to help us stop crying and begin to feel better about ourselves. Over time the accumulated effects of all these 'feel good' foods will impact our bodies in a negative sense.

I was inspired by my brother Tim and my brother in law Bill to make some decisions in this area of my life. It won't be easy and in the beginning eating more of what is healthy for me will seem so foreign, but if I stay the course and do what is right I know the healthy way of eating will have a lasting impact on the way I feel about myself and in the way I process my grief.

Life is for the living. Our journey is not finished if we are still breathing and moving around. God wants to use us to help others who come along after us with their own grief journeys. Choosing the right foods to eat and the right kind of exercise to perform is your way of telling God to use you to help others.

What is your life story and why you shouldn't keep it hidden

What is your life story and why you shouldn't keep it hidden?

Yesterday was a eventful day as we drove to Grand Forks to say goodbye to David and Deb after seeing the latest Hobbit movie. Part way outside Warren, Minnesota we encountered nearly white out conditions with blowing snow that occasionally became thick enough to prevent us from seeing the car ahead.  At one point I decided to put my flashers on to help the drivers behind me and those passing us in the opposite direction. By the time we made it to highway 29 we had missed the 3:15 pm show.
Conditions were getting worse with each passing mile.A decision was made to travel to the hotel Deb and David were staying in before deciding what we should do.  In this typical 75 mile per hour zone we were lucky to be going 30.

At the Howard Johnson's we made the decision to see a later movie, eat dinner before checking into individual rooms for the evening. We soon learn coming out of the theater that I-29 had been shut  down because of the storm. As I looked out at the snow swept roads in this normally busy City, my mind drifted to a conversation I had with a friend about the importance of talking about our 'life stories' following our grief. For the purpose of this blog I will define stories as those painful things from our past that leave a  impressionable  mark on us.  It can be as simple as a concussion that left you with problems with retaining information, or it can be something as painful as  having a loved one die. 

 Since my son and I are occasional SyFy fans I will use the illustration of the huge warehouse  with it's mountains upon mountains of stacked boxes with countless of information.  Our brains are like that in the sense that as each painful event is processed we tend to find a nice box to place all of those painful, icky emotions inside before placing it on our imaginary forklift  and taken to a place of storage where hopefully they will never have to be dealt with again. When painful things happen to us we tend to want to rush the healing process by bypassing the steps we must take to fully heal.

What if all of us were to learn to carry our grief forward and instead of stuffing it inside boxes we share our stories with those around us?  The greatest revelation I made upon entering our grief journey has been discovering that there are many, many people around us who are finding boxes to stuff their own painful, icky events inside.  I remembering hearing in one sermon the preacher telling us that the church is a hospital for the sick and wounded. It is not a place for perfect people because there are no perfect people, only people pretending to be perfect. The quicker we discover this fact the faster we will find healing.

God gave us the example of his son, Jesus, who was by no means afraid of revealing his emotions. You can discover this reality as you read the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  His example should be evidence for us to allow ourselves to be vulnerable with those around us and to share our life story.  As we unwrap our boxes with it's tangled emotions and as we share those hurts with those we can trust we will discover a beautiful thing: the body of Christ coming together for a refreshing time of genuine Christian fellowship.

God wants us to be emotionally and physically healthy and he wants healing to come to all of us.  Now that is a most beautiful thing! 

The long journey for Joseph and Mary

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

though you are small among the clans[a] of Judah,

out of you will come for me

one who will be ruler over Israel,

whose origins are from of old,

from ancient times.” Micah 5:2

The journey of Joseph, Mary and the Unborn Child

I had to purchase two new tires to replace two of the ones on my van. They were bald on the outer rim and making it difficult to stay on the road. I knew I needed to get it ready for our trip to Warren, Minnesota where some of my wife’s family was gathering from afar.

In the course of doing so I was told that two outer tie rod ends also needed to be replace, but they had nothing on their schedule to do that job today. This confirm my suspicion. I knew I didn't want us to be stranded on our drive and wind up missing part of the holiday because we had to wait to have our van serviced. Worse yet I didn’t want to put our family in jeopardy on this trip.

So I drove. I got on 94 and drove to Rogers, Minnesota where I decided to stop and see if the local NTB store would be able to do the work on short notice. They said they would do the work and even matched the price of the local Fleet Farm. I handed them the keys and proceeded to walk 6 blocks up to the Target store in typical Minnesota cold to do some Christmas shopping. It beat sitting in the waiting room all that time.

I must admit that I had been spoiled most of my life with having private transportation that I had forgotten what it must be like for those who have no such transportation, or for those who lived in an earlier time where there was no such thing as motorized transportation.

It was good for me to be a pedestrian this one time.

In my dream that night I dreamt of the journey that Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus had to make to avoid the tyrant, murderous King Herod.

First, how did Mary and Joseph wind up in Bethlehem?? The year Jesus was born was also the year of the census where everyone was require to go to their place of birth so they could be counted. Since Joseph was from a little town of Bethlehem he and his pregnant Mary made the slow journey, without motorized transportation. Imagine, if you will, being pregnant and having to uproot everything and travel on foot to Bethlehem. The distance between Nazareth and Bethlehem took 93 miles, over rugged terrain and undoubtedly would take Mary and Joseph several days to make.

In this same period of history was a very evil man who was ‘mad’ about maintaining his power that he would do anything to maintain it, including killing members of his own family. In Wikipedia King Herod had attained the title 'King of the Jews'. A loyal supporter of Hyrcanus II, Antipater appointed Herod governor of Galilee at 25, and his elder brother, Phasael, governor of Jerusalem. He enjoyed the backing of Rome but his brutality was condemned by the Sanhedrin.[16] He definitely didn’t exude the qualities of a ‘servant’ leader.

The first two chapters of Luke described .the Roman census.in those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.

Mary was quite far along with her pregnancy and when they reached Bethlehem Joseph went in search for a place to stay for a very pregnant Mary. It wasn’t easy and it seemed that wherever Joseph looked there was no room for them to stay, until they were directed to the only place which was a place where the animals slept.

As the census was proclaimed throughout the Roman Empire, many Jewish families would have needed to travel to Bethlehem during this time and lodged with relatives who lived in the town.

Joseph and Mary probably stayed with Joseph's relatives in Bethlehem, but because of the large influx of people, the house would have been crowded and the kataluma (guest room) was full. Consequently, Joseph and Mary would have been relegated to living in the lower level of the house. It is hard to believe that pregnant Mary would have been turned away from a relative's home in a society that greatly valued familial ties.

Archaeologists have excavated first century homes from the Judean hill country. They have discovered that the upper level served as a guest chamber while the lower level served as the living and dining rooms. Oftentimes, the more vulnerable animals would be brought in at night to protect them from the cold and theft. This sounds strange to many of us, since we wouldn't dream of bringing some of our cattle into the house at night, but even today in some countries of Europe (e.g., Germany and Austria), the farmhouse and the animal quarters are often different parts of the same building.

Herod the great appears in the gospel of Matthew which describes an event known as the massacre of the innocents. According to this account after the birth of Christ three wise men from the east visited King Herod to inquire the whereabouts of the one been born the king of the Jews because they had seen his star in the east and therefore wanted to pay homage. King Herod who was also known as the King of the Jews became alarmed by the prospect of a usurper that he called his chief priests and the scribes of the people and asked where the 'Anointed one had been born. They answered in Bethlehem, citing Micah 5:2. Herod sent the wise men to Bethlehem and when they found him they should report back to Herod so that he might go and worship this Christ child.

After the wise men found this child they were warned in a dream not to report back to Herod and Joseph was warn in a dream that Herod intended to kill Jesus.

There were evil men in the days of Christ just as there are evil men today. King Herod was one such man, but God provided protection over Joseph, Mary and the Christ child so nothing could happen to him. He knew that this Christ would one day do away with all of the rituals and sacrifices so all could come to a personal relationship with God and experience eternal life in heaven.

The next time you gather your family in your car for a long road trip and your kids begin to complain with their cries ‘are we there yet’ remind them of the 93 mile journey on foot that Joseph, Mary and the unborn child had to take so that one day they would have the privilege of receiving the free gift of salvation brought to them through this Christ child.

Just as God was with them through every step of their journey He wants to walk with you on whatever journey you may be on. As you celebrate this Christmas holiday with loved ones won’t you take time and thank him for the greatest gift of all, the birth of God’s son, Jesus Christ.

Man's best friend

Man's best friend

10And the ransomed of the LORD will return

And come with joyful shouting to Zion,

With everlasting joy upon their heads.

They will find gladness and joy,

And sorrow and sighing will flee away. Isaiah 35:10

Monday evening I received a call from my sister to let me know that Gracie had died. She was overwhelmed by  grief as I spoke with her.  Gracie was not a person. Gracie was her 13 year old cocker spaniel. who simply grew old and passed away. There were wonderful memories with this dog. For me Gracie's passing brought back memories when our kids were small and we watched them interact with Gracie, their other dog Patches and our dog Princess.  Although they are gone now each one left their mark on our hearts.. I learned that even with the loss of a pet we have to be very careful what we say to someone who has lost one. 

Comments like, "you can always get another dog" are not appropriate at that moment.  At that moment the person doesn't want just any dog. They want their dog back  Instead,  the person needs for you to acknowledge  their loss.  They want you to remember their dog with a memory.  To share a moment in time you had with their dog is perhaps the greatest gift you can give to a person mourning the loss of a pet.

The loss of a pet can bring up other losses we might not have fully processed.  The loss may bring up memories when we brought our dog over to a loved ones  home who is no longer there, or it may bring up another loss in your home. Simply, the loss of a pet can be compounded by other unprocessed losses. If you have been reading these blogs for long you probably have heard me say over and over again that 'American's are not very good in the grief compartment.'. We would rather bury our grief with busyness than to take a moment to process the tears we feel floating down our faces.

 I like to use the illustration of  a person on a sail boat. It is a calm day until the winds really pick up. When that happens the person has to lean into the wind so their boat doesn't capsize.  When emotions are bubbling up lean into your grief and find yourself a trusted listener who will at least acknowledge your loss without giving you platitudes like 'you can always get another dog'.

Dogs are wonderful creatures. When we invest our time in them they pay dividends with lots of hugs, kisses for years to come.  When you come home at night they will wag their tails with excitement to let you how happy they are to see you.     Hang on to those memories.

 In my sister's case hang on to the memories you had with Gracie. Gracie left a mark on your life. I have said the only way any of us can avoid going through the emotional roller coaster ride of grief would be to hole up in a cave somewhere and not have any human contact  To do so would be a lonely existence that wouldn't be worth living for.

God give us pets to take care of and to love. They add quality to our lives. To be loved is perhaps our greatest need and certainly our pets provide that to us. So when the loss of a pet overwhelms you let someone know. Turn to your friends for comfort and if you need to, find a trusted listener who can help you process this pain of this loss. 

 Remember, our God is no stranger to grief. He watched his son die on the cross for our sin's so that one day we would be with him in heaven. God wants to walk with you in your grief journey. Go ahead and ask him because you will be glad you did.

The Metaphorical boxes

The metaphorical box

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:35-41
In every home there is a box. A metaphorical box. A box where we stick all of our pain, our grief, our losses inside  before placing the lid on our box.  We are told to walk away from our box of pain and join the rest of the crowd on the joy side of life.  When we try to carry our metaphorical box with us to the joy side we are often reminded to leave our box behind.

As much as we humanly try most of us cannot leave our pain and suffering behind. Feeling trapped by a society that encourages us not to talk about our pain, we are forced to live silently wondering about the feelings of sadness that is festering inside us. Some of us may see a Psychiatrist who will quickly note these symptoms we are having as depression and write a prescription for medication to treat our condition without necessarily recognizing the pain that is their metaphorical box.  Instead of letting the pain and suffering out of our metaphorical box we are encouraged to put the box away, preferably way back in some unknown closet somewhere we cannot find it.

Teaching our young people how to process their feelings of disappointment, pain, sorrow, grief and loss is every bit as important in life as teaching them the academic subjects. The academic subjects are important, but it is the feelings from grief, loss, disappointment , pain can can potentially derail their life and career journey.  Helping your young person being better equipped to handle this pain begins begins by asking them questions about their pain.  When your young person comes to you and says 'I am sad' don't just give them a cookie as though it will make them all happy again.  When we do so we are teaching our kids to put their pain, hurts, losses into their pretty looking metaphorical box and go have a cookie so they will feel better about themselves. All that will do is set them up for a life time journey of unhealthy eating whenever feelings of  sadness overwhelms them.   Instead, get down to their eye level and silently help them process that pain into words. Helping them to recognize that pain within them by giving them permission to talk about it is one step away from helping them to be successful in life.

Finally, I love word pictures. Especially word pictures in the bible. In one picture Jesus is walking on water toward his disciples who are in a fishing boat being tossed in the stormy sea. Fearful, one of the men calls to Jesus. who at the time was on the shore. These men knew they were in a dangerous situation when the waves were in danger of capsizing their boat.  It wasn't appropriate for them to put their fears, pain, sorrow into their metaphorical box and so they cried out their emotions so they could be heard. Just as Jesus calmed the storm in their life he will do the same for us if we cry out our feelings of sadness, fear and disappointment. 

If we can learn to talk about our pain, suffering, our sorrows instead of hiding them away in a metaphorical box we will  have learned a wonderful survival skill in life.

Where is the line to see Jesus?

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life

The funny thing about grief is how it changes one's perspective on life. When you have a loved one in heaven suddenly your heart changes to the things that matter most to God. Christmas time is one such time I reflect on what  Jesus did for each of us and for what God did when he gave Joseph and Mary a new born baby through a immaculate conception Their hearts were changed as they saw that God had picked them to raise what would one day be the salvation for the world.

Shopping at Christmas time is said to be the make it or break it mark for the majority of retailers They try not to offend any cultural groups who will be bringing the money into their store and so they adopt a more neutral attitude toward  this Jesus thing.  They know that a good profit during this time will determine whether their store flourishes or becomes another victim to the going out of business sales  in the new year.

Years ago the city I lived in would put a lighted decoration in front of  City hall that actually said 'Merry Christmas' until someone said something.to them. The next year they took out Christ and just had Merry Xmas. Then later our city decided to not have anything in front of city hall, except large lighted snowflakes. Do you see the insanity of this rush to neutralizing the meaning behind this holiday?

The reality for me is Christmas time is more than shopping for gifts. It is  a time to reflect on the good news that Jesus brought to us which is after this short earthly life is over we will experience everlasting life with Jesus in a wonderful place we call heaven. Until we are called home we have the loving Savior who will walk with us through the peaks and valleys in this life. That is the good news and that is worth proclaiming to the world that is crying to find meaning in their existence.

As you shop this Christmas season looking for gifts to give your loved ones, remember to say a prayer thanking God for the greatest gift of all: a baby brought into the world in humbling circumstances who will one day be the salvation to a world crying out for significance.

Life is a journey that begins with Christ at the helm

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds,3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

Mosquito repellent. Check. food. Check. Comfortable hiking boots. Check. Water. Check. Digital camera. Check. Map. Check. Sleeping bag. Check. Backpack. Check. toothbrush. Check. Bible and journal. Check 

Like going on a hike through the mountains life is a journey. To have a successful journey you have to be prepared to go the distance. You want to have someone at the helm who knows how to guide you.

As believers we know that no journey begins without inviting Jesus to join us. After all, He knows this terrain better than any of us will ever know. Jesus will remind you, like the verse at the top, that we should consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds. That means life will bring us many moments that our human minds think is impossible to overcome, but when Jesus Christ is at the helm nothing is impossible. We see that steep hill up ahead Jesus will remind you to press on step by step until you reach the top of that hill.

Life is tough. Things do not work out the way we wanted them to work out. Occasionally, bad things will happen in this life that are simply too painful for our finite, human minds to grasp, but our guide Jesus will remind you in his word just as he said in John 16:33 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Occasionally on our journey people we know will depart from us. A simple wave goodbye and then you notice them disappearing in the horizon in the loving arm of our Savior. Even in times of sorrow of no longer seeing that loved one Jesus reminds us our permanent home will be in heaven. We are comforted with his word from Revelation: Revelation 22:3-5

And there shall no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bond-servants shall serve Him; and they shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. And there shall no longer be any night; and they shall not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God shall illumine them; and they shall reign forever and ever.

Our guide reminds us that we will see our friend again when we finish our journey. As we wipe a tear from our eyes Jesus, our guide reminds us with another verse from Phillipians 3:14 press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Alas, we look ahead. Our goal has been completed. We see the gates of heaven. As we get closer to that gate we see our friends who were with us when we started this journey. They are cheering us on and Jesus reminds us just as he did in Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us 

 We press on for our final leg of our journey because of the encouragement we received from our guide, Jesus Christ.

Life is a journey. The best way we can be prepared for this journey is to put Christ at the helm and let him guide us over the uncertain, unstable and unknown parts of our journey. There will be many moments of joy and there will be moments of sorrow, but when Jesus Christ is at our helm getting through those moments becomes much easier.

When your journey is finished our Lord and Savior will give you a hug, wipe away the tear of joy from your eye and encourage you with the words "well done my good and faithful servant, welcome home.

The Legacy of dad

Psalm 28:77 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

My father passed away a few years ago from the terrible disease known as Parkinson's disorder. Before he was diagnosed with this disease he had problems with his eye sight which lead him to a retina specialist when his retina began detaching. Two retina surgeries couldn't restore his eye sight.

Dad had a rough beginning in life. Shortly after he was born his mom died suddenly of unknown causes. My dad's dad, being a veteran of the First world war was now dealing with  immense grief on top of what at that time was considered 'shell shock' from his war experience.

 There was no diagnosis of post traumatic stress disorder, nor did they have the kind of information we have today to treat complicated grief issues. Dad, along with his older brother were taken in by his mother's family in Crystal, Minnesota who now had to raise these two boys, as well as get through the grief of losing a daughter.   I never really knew my dad's dad because he died not long after I was born. I was told that his dad loved making things out of wood. 

Life was hard for my dad, but he did well at Robbinsdale High school before going on to the University of Wisconsin.   My dad had the most beautiful handwriting, having won the 'Palmer Penmanship award' in school.. He couldn't understand why schools would even take this highly touted writing program out of the schools.

 He would later join the Navy in World war II and then the Marine corp during the Korean war conflict. After college he moved east to take a job with a Chemical company but that lasted briefly until he moved back home to take a job with Northern States Power company.He met my mom who lived next door with her sister.  He fell in love with this woman, married before they moved into a newly built   3 bed room rambler  in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. He momentarily entertained the thought of moving into a bigger and nicer home in Plymouth, but decided a bigger home wasn't worth the price for the stability and security of their present location.

There is another side of my dad I think you should know that I really didn't understand until 2007 when our daughter passed away. He was a man who always made sure his family made it to church.  Mom and Dad were founding members of Reformation Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.  We had our Sunday rituals of going to church and then going to Perkin's restaurant afterwards for lunch. What I came to appreciate about my dad years later ((funny how that works) was that he learned that even in the face of suffering he kept placing one foot in front of the other. He had his favorite sayings he would tell us. When something we perceive as bad that might happen he reminded us  with the words " Let's not cross that bridge until we come to it."  Dad was good at helping us to focus on the long term goal in life.  

Not long before he died a nurse asked this electrical engineer what was his greatest accomplishment in life and without batting an eye he smiled and said " my greatest accomplishment in life was raising my family."  

 Little did I realized that the lessons I learned from him would help me as our family traveled our own sudden tragedy.  Since I had a dad who modeled for me the faithfulness of attending church I was able to remind my son that even when we do not feel like going to church we need to keep putting one foot in front of the other and go so that we might experience the kind words and encouragement of others at church.

When tragedy happens we must trust God that he knows what he is doing. We have a Father in heaven who wants to spend time with you  Our father in heaven understands that life is going to be hard and bad things will happen, but when bad things happen we have a Heavenly father who wants to walk with you on whatever journey you may be on.

 Won't you invite him into your life today? Like my dad learned you will not regret making that decision.

The infamous Armistice day blizzard and the lessons we learned

Yesterday we had our first snow storm.  It didn't snow much, maybe an inch or so, but it was enough to slow down the traffic. Everything slows down, but nothing ever stops.  Unless, you live in such places as Alabama, Mississippi  or Texas where life stops at the mere mention of the word snow. Not enough sanding trucks and not enough salt, if they have any, to even tackle the job.

 In Minnesota you can drive by any municipality and you will notice huge airplane like barns.  At first glance you wonder if someone is parking their plane in those places, but at closer glance, you discover that is where they store  the winter's supply of salt chemicals needed to get through the next winter.  Minnesotan's and Wisconsinites know how to survive in climatic changes in weather where the wind gusts get below-30 and snow cover can sometimes reach the roof line.

 We are not afraid to make jokes about our weather and will often call our friends from the south and west and exaggerate for effect the weather just so we could hear a pin drop on the other end of the line.  We love a good story.  I remember hearing as a child our parents telling us about the granddaddy storm of the century, the Armistice day blizzard. The day that started out in balmy like weather and ended with extreme weather that probably was the reason why California picked up  so many  Northern transplants.Even our once beloved Minneapolis Laker's moved west.

Minnesotan's love the frequent weather changes. We know that when winter arrives we can anticipate the coming Spring which is 'just around the corner'. When Spring arrives we anticipate the coming summer and the backyard barbecues, family vacations, reunions, and all the other good stuff that makes us smile. I know the exotic places love it whenever we get a major snow storm because those places can always anticipate an influx of Viking and Packer fans to fill their tills. Our snow and cold does wonders with stimulating the nations economy.

The latest snow has made me think about putting up the Christmas lights. I could have done this back in September when the weather was nicer and I could do this while flipping burgers, but it wouldn't be quite as much fun. You have to live here to understand our logic..

The whole point behind this blog is each season brings with it a unique set of blessings. I remember reading a post when someone wrote of the snow storm about how their loved one in heaven must have instigated a 'pillow fight' for all this fluffy stuff to cascade to the ground like this. I smiled because I know from my readings about heaven that it really is an actual place with trees, water, and beauty beyond description of anything we experience here. I noticed the corners of my mouth curling upward as I thought of our loved ones that are now in that place.and thinking how God made it possible through the resurrection of his son, Jesus Christ, for all of us to experience it.

 When Christ came into the world it really was a game changer. No longer do we have to put ourselves into a transcendental state or perform daily rituals and hope for the best that we would earn our way in. When Christ took his final breath on the cross he said "it is finished". He paid the price so we can all experience the joys of heaven. No longer chained to a set of religious laws Christ paid the price for all of us to experience this salvation gift. It is a gift with no strings attached other than saying 'yes' to Christ.

The coming Christmas season is a reminder of that gift we were given. I know, for me, going through my season of grief hasn't been easy, but I can tell this that knowing Jesus Christ has made it easier.