Clouds of Grief

This weekend I celebrated my birthday.  It was the second birthday I've celebrated without my sister.  Last year I was still shocked that she was gone.  I looked back to see what I wrote on my blog and I'm glad I did.  Click here to read that post, Seeing a Rainbow.  It's amazing the difference a year makes. You could say I have seen the rainbow at the end of the grief storm.  This storm left a lot of wreckage in it's wake and many things will never be the same again.  For a long time it seemed the clouds of grief would never lift but life has a way of turning things around.  It happens a little bit at a time until one day you realize the clouds of grief have lifted and sunny skies have returned.

Seeing a Rainbow

photo © 2008 Jeremy Austin | more info (via: Wylio)Grieving a loved one is a lot like weathering a storm.  When it's stormy outside and the sky is dark and gray it is tempting to crawl into bed and sleep the day away.  It is hard to face the emotions and feelings when a loved one leaves us.  Sometimes it seems easier to stay busy or distracted so we don't focus on the loss and feelings inside us.  What happens when we crawl in bed on these stormy days is we miss seeing a rainbow when the storm has lifted.  Your grief and emotions are like a violent storm in the beginning.  The storm wrecks your emotional foundation.  Eventually the sunshine starts to shine through the dark clouds.  As the clouds fade away the sunshine leaves a beautiful rainbow for all to see.  For me, seeing a rainbow gives me hope that God has a plan for me and the storm I experienced will prepare me for what lay ahead.  So, don't sleep through your rainbows, embrace them and God will embrace you. 

Scripture: For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.
~Deuteronomy 16:15 NIV