as another day came to a close i checked my e-mails only to receive the news that one of my college friends lost her mom this morning. her mom had been battling brain cancer for over a year. tragically this same friend has a son who has been battling with leukemia for a few years now. it's hard to imagine how much pain and trials this family has had to endure...
this friend and i had briefly reconnected this past year, only running into each other a few times. but in those brief moments i could see in her similar battle wounds that come from grief. there's a weariness , but also a resolve to be strong. there's tenderness and vulnerability. there's no place for small talk, but an ache to be real, authentic. while i hadn't seen her in a few years, i trusted her with my pain because i knew she had been walking through similar valleys.
Kriah, an ancient Jewish tradition, is the Hebrew word meaning "tearing." It refers to the act of tearing one's clothes or cutting a black ribbon worn on one's clothes. This rending is a striking expression of grief and anger at the loss of a loved one.
a few months ago mars hill bible church did a series on lamenting. we were given black strips of fabric, a tangible symbol of our griefs, our laments. i carry this torn cloth with me, to remind me to ache, to release my lament to God.
tonight another cloth is torn..for kathy's life. for her family and friends who will celebrate her life and ache for her presence.
this friend and i had briefly reconnected this past year, only running into each other a few times. but in those brief moments i could see in her similar battle wounds that come from grief. there's a weariness , but also a resolve to be strong. there's tenderness and vulnerability. there's no place for small talk, but an ache to be real, authentic. while i hadn't seen her in a few years, i trusted her with my pain because i knew she had been walking through similar valleys.
Kriah, an ancient Jewish tradition, is the Hebrew word meaning "tearing." It refers to the act of tearing one's clothes or cutting a black ribbon worn on one's clothes. This rending is a striking expression of grief and anger at the loss of a loved one.
a few months ago mars hill bible church did a series on lamenting. we were given black strips of fabric, a tangible symbol of our griefs, our laments. i carry this torn cloth with me, to remind me to ache, to release my lament to God.
tonight another cloth is torn..for kathy's life. for her family and friends who will celebrate her life and ache for her presence.
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