"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" - Gordon Lightfoot (HD w/ Lyrics)

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

Upon the North Shore sits a body of water otherwise known as Lake Superior. Whenever I traveled along the north shore I remember seeing these long orr boats. 

Recently, I remember seeing pictures of the damage the November gales caused to the shoreline of Superior, even destroying a landmark rock in the process. The song sung by Gordon Lightfoot, in my mind, is symbolic for the storms that each of us faces in life. Those storms may seem very different from one person to another. One person may struggle with the loss of a loved one. Another person may struggle over losing their job they had for 25 years.   

Those who died in the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald left behind fathers, mothers, wifes, children, nieces, and nephews who at the time of their losses now had to work through their grief.  Back in those days, there were few in the way of support available for people encountering traumatic losses.  Many struggled to find solace and turned to alcohol to cope with the innermost pain of their loss. 

While they weren't able to connect the dots, husbands and wives grieve so differently that like two ships passing each other in the dark they fail to connect.  For some, faith becomes the rock that helps them to survive loss because they learned through their personal relationship with their Lord and Savior Jesus that he understands their pain and walks with them on their journey. 

For some who continue to be angry at God in the aftermath of their tragedy, their life becomes complicated with chronic health conditions when the anger damages them on the inside.

Whatever storm you are encountering, share your pain with Christ. Cry out to Him in your agony, and while you do that journal your thoughts each day you wake up. In time, you will discover that your soul will begin to heal from the loss.