A New Season

Image by Ilona Ilyés from Pixabay

 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Mathew 5:4. 

For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to break down and a time to build up;
a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; a time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek and a time to lose; a time to keep and a time to throw away;
a time to tear and a time to sew; a time to keep silent and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate. a  time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. 

My husband passed away on Saturday, January 25^th, 2025. I’m still processing, trying to come to terms with how quickly I became a widow — for the third time. So many life-altering decisions need to be done quickly. Taxes must be filed and accounts rolled over to my name.

The biggest challenge, putting the house on the market. Even if my husband lived the year, the doctors thought he might, we couldn’t keep up with the large yard and home. So, we agreed to sell. God granted my husband enough time to sign all the documentation necessary for me to handle our financial affairs, and the marathon began.

From  9 am to 5 pm, I stayed at the hospital with my husband, needing and wanting every moment possible with him. Early mornings and late evenings, I worked at home to ready it for sale. Looking back, I don’t know how I had the strength. It had to be God’s doing.

God was also in every detail of this transition. As I approached each closed door, it opened. For example, the garage door opener malfunctioned, and I needed to replace it. If I purchased a new one, my generous neighbor offered to install it. Armed with the specs for a new one, I marched into the home improvement store. They had one.

When the hospital discharged my husband to hospice care, my sweet, dear friend opened her house to us. I planned on sleeping on an air mattress next to my husband's hospital bed, but those mattresses can be cold. I went shopping for a mattress topper. The department store had one on sale.

I needed a wall repair kit to touch up the walls in our home. The hardware store was sold out except for the exact number I needed, and the list goes on. God is there, in all the tiny details like garage door openers, mattress toppers, and wall repair kits. How much more will he be in all the other details of my life?

I don’t know what my future holds, but I will never face it alone. Not only will I have the support of family and friends, but God has promised to never leave or forsake me. I believe that with all my heart.

 

Thank you, Lord, for your loving care. You are my rock, a sanctuary amid turbulent seas. Amen.