Light, Love, Hope

“I’ll be brief …” my mother-in-law used to say.

It left you wondering if she was short on time or just tired of talking to you.  Laugh if you will, but honestly, it made me wonder each time I heard her say it.

We didn’t always have the best relationship, and my heart is heavy because of that.  But, I don’t shoulder this alone.  She felt it, too, I believe.

The most amazing thing happened prior to her passing, though.  We had an opportunity to talk about past hurts.  Although we could not get lost time back, we could make amends over anything that may have been a wedge between us before.

And I sobbed deep, gut-wrenching sobs right in her hospital room, then released any bad vibe we ever had between us.  Right then and there, it was resolved.  Nothing mattered but the time we had left with her.

Brief.

That was the time we had with her after that.

It went extremely too fast.

We made the most of our time left with her, though.

This time of year always makes me think of that.  As we prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas, I remember how she wanted us to gather at her house for the holidays.  Although she couldn’t prepare the feast as she once did, she had it prepared by a place in town that she loved.  She invited us to her house, and we all gathered around together to enjoy.

I’m so thankful for the time we spent with her in her last days.

My husband likes to hop on the “shoulda, coulda, woulda …” train and go on down the track.  But I focus on what we actually DID with her.  Those are the memories I choose to cling to and what I focus on.

Two people meet by chance but soon discover all the things they have in common.  As more similarities come forth, they are almost in disbelief.

How can two people that live hours apart be going through similar situations?

At first, it is as if you’re comparing notes.  This happened in my situation … yeah, well, this happened in my situation …

And you stare out into space.

There is someone out there going through what you are going through.  You are NOT alone after all.

Pretty soon, you begin to seek each other out.  When there’s a conflict, you know you can confide in each other.  You find comfort in sharing with someone that truly understands as they have been there or are there right this very minute.

You become each other’s therapists in a way.  Although not licensed by any means, you have the credentials because you have lived it.

When we question why things happen in this life and find no answers, we have come to realize that God allows them so we can be a support system to someone else going through something similar.  That has to be it.  God doesn’t want us walking through life alone, so he puts people in our path so we can help each other through the hard things in life.

Ecclesiastes 4:10

If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.

Psalm 121: 1,2

1  I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2  My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

A chapel on the side of the mountains can be found near the South Carolina and North Carolina border.  It is actually the Greenville YMCA Camp; however, most everyone around knows it as Pretty Place.

We stumbled upon this unique chapel a few years ago in our search for waterfalls.  Intrigued by the name, we ventured up the windy mountain road through the fog to have our breath taken away when we saw it.

Pretty Place 

Lining the alter area, that looks out into the valley below, are plagues with various bible verses and sayings.  Above the beautiful wooden cross is the bible verse, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills …” 

I’ll never forget taking my parents to this chapel.  I talked about it several times, but I finally had the opportunity a few years ago when we took my parents on a mini-vacation.  This was one of our final stops, and I’m sure they didn’t know what to expect.

My dad walked into the entrance of the open-air chapel and stopped right in his tracks.  The beauty and reverence of the place struck him, and he had trouble keeping his composure.  After having battled quite a few things in his life and getting ready to face yet another battle, he was overwhelmed with emotion as he took a seat.  Staring out into the wonder of God’s creation with the mountains and valleys in sight, he sat with God.  Although no words were said out loud, none needed to pass his lips as it went straight from his heart to God.

There was no doubt – for we knew my dad met God right there in that fog filled chapel right as the sun was setting.