Letter

Dear Aunt Pam and Uncle Jim,

Not everyday is sunny, but you already knew that.
Some days, it feels like if it rains hard enough,
we might just drown.  And some days, we're okay with that.

But other days,
the sun shines so beautifully down on us that it's nearly impossible to tear away our gaze.
It's as though heaven is right here on Earth, and if we believe enough
we can see all whom we've loved and lost.

Perhaps it's just God toying with us, to give us something to look forward to at the end of our days.
So we can long for something outside of this realm.

I can only imagine.
Only hope
                that one day, after all is said and all is done, we will meet on the other side.
Fresh and new, blessed in God's glory and grace.

And even when your hope does stray, do not forget the beauty of this world.  How the first Spring rain washes the world clean.  And how the trees whisper in the warm summer breeze.  Autumns bright colors as nature's grand finale before a desolate cold approaches.  And lastly, don't forget the first snow fall and how each time you listen in the dead of winter, you hear not silence, but peace.  A stillness that calms.  How the laughter of children playing in the yard will echo through your ears and mind years after they're gone.

Not every day will be sunny,
nor will every day be warm, inviting, nor swell.

But every day is a gift
that you have survived through another sleepless night
that you have put yesterday behind you
and faced today, despite your fears

That you swallowed your grief,
put your nose to the grindstone
and made it through once again.

And while you may feel broken, or bruised
tired, twisted, and confused
by God's plan

Know that you have survived

Against all odds,
you continue to climb branches of God's tree.
Despite the hardships,
You know that one day you will be free

But I want you to know something, more important than the rain,
or the sun,
the pain, and the joy.

I want you to know
that no matter the darkness of the sky
you shine a light that has led me here
no matter how strong the wind blows
you whisper words that have told me to push on
and that no matter how high the waves have risen up,
threatening to swallow us,
dragging us into a deep oblivion
You held my head above the waves,

But hold your breath
or you will fail to see
how his love spreads outwards toward infinity

And know,
forever, and for now
just how much it is
that you mean
to me