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Jamey's Journey Through Grief
My life forever changed one cold December morning when I received a phone call that no parent wants to get. I was told that there had been a house fire in the early morning hours, and that my 16-year-old daughter never made it out of the house. This fire happened at her dad's home.
Shock
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I didn't want to believe it. I felt as if my whole world came to a sudden halt that day. I was in shock. It took days before I could grasp the reality that my daughter was gone and that I would never see her again.Emotional Roller Coaster
So many thoughts flooded my mind. The things left unsaid, the "if only's," and questions like, "why my daughter?" I felt like I was on an emotional roller coaster that was never going to stop. The pain was overwhelming. My daughter was really gone and I had to go on this journey without her.Comfort From Above
I knew I couldn't deal with this in my own strength. I needed God more than ever. I needed his comfort and strength to get me through this darkest time of my life. And he was there, giving me the comfort and strength I needed to move on. He gave me peace in the midst of my sorrow. It has been almost six years since that tragic day. I have come a long way in my journey through grief.Learning to Live
I still have my ups and downs. I don't know if we ever really stop grieving. I think we just learn how to live with it. I still have a long way to go on this journey, but I don't have to go through it alone. God will be there with me through it all.
I try not to dwell on what I have lost, but to be thankful for the time we had. God can use all that we have endured to reach out to others with hope and encouragement, so that we may never have to walk this journey alone:
2 Corinthians 1:3-6
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation!
There is no wound that God cannot heal, no pain so great that he cannot comfort you, no sorrow too deep that he cannot understand. God is our refuge through the journey!
I AM LEARNING HOW TO LIVE
A poem by Jamey