Here's what I'm pondering today:
"Had you restrained your love, you would be free of sorrow. The greater the love, while one possesses it, the greater the sorrow when one is deprived of it." Von Tepl
"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." Romans 12:15
"Many waters cannot quench love, Nor will rivers overflow it..." Song of Solomon 8:7
"This is what mortals misunderstand. They say of some temporal suffering, 'No future bliss can make up for it,' not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even the agony into a glory." C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
"Hope claims the possibilities of the future, hopelessness recognizes its limits. In the mature person there are feelings of both, but they are kept distinct and separate. There's nothing wrong with hopeless feelings as long as they only limit, but do not contaminate the hope." William Lynch
"And I was having to bear the unbearable. If I must bear it, I would bear it-- find the whole meaning of it, taste the whole of it...I would not run away from grief; I would not try to hold on to it when-- if, unbelievably-- it passed." Sheldon Vanauken, A Severe Mercy
Much love to you today...
Much love to you too, Anna. Thinking of you so much every day.
ReplyDeleteLove you Anna. Praying for all of you!! Hoping, believing, standing w/ you & praying w/o ceasing. xoxo
ReplyDeleteLove you Anna....
ReplyDeleteAnna we continue to pray for you and your family.You will not be forgotten.
ReplyDeleteOh Anna, we are mourning with you... whatever that is worth, and I'm sure not much in the grand scheme of things.
ReplyDeleteThank GOD for CS Lewis. "...Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even the agony into a glory."
Though I am sorry you have to wait for relief and wait to see him again. I hate it for you, so much. I do thank God for that quote.
Praying.
Hugs and love....prayers, too.
ReplyDeleteI had never seen that C.S. Lewis quote. I love it...
The only way out is through.
ReplyDeleteI love that C.S. Lewis quote, also.
i love the cs lewis quote and i have to believe that it is indeed true.
ReplyDeleteAnna,
ReplyDeleteI'm standing next to you, rejoicing in the hope and faith that God gives us that that blessed C.S. Lewis quote will one day, indeed, be true. Carrying you, Jack, Tim & Margaret in my heart.
Jen
I didn't know the Song of Solomon Scripture, loved the CS Lewis one.
ReplyDeleteI'm stretching my arms across the seas for a big hug!
Great quotes, I really like the last one!
ReplyDeleteLots of love for you and your precious family!
PS- I really LOVE that picture of Jack & Margaret! ;) So sweet...
There is nothing left to say, you say it all so beautifully...much love and prayer to you.
ReplyDelete"In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night. You--only you--will have stars that can laugh!
ReplyDeleteAnd when your sorrow is comforted...you will be happy that you have known me. You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me. And you will sometimes open your window for that pleasure...
...There is sweetness in the laughter of the stars."--Antoine de Saint Exupery
He will always be with you.
We will always be praying for you, praying that one day your heart will feel lighter, and you may laugh at the stars.
Thinking of you often...love back atcha!
ReplyDeleteLisa G.
It's amazing the ability words have to penetrate our mind and settle our heart. Thanks for sharing all these quotes...and for writing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for these, Anna. You are amazing, and they are amazing. I love each and every one of them. Much love to you, Tim and Margaret. (((hugs))) Mariann
ReplyDeleteTo live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die.
ReplyDeleteI don't know who wrote this but I can assure you that Jack is a part of our family now and in our hearts. Praying for comforting and peace.
Love right back to you. What beautiful quotes. I really love the first one and also "There's nothing wrong with hopeless feelings as long as they only limit, but do not contaminate the hope." xo
ReplyDeleteWow...that C.S. Lewis quote?! I sure he's right...please, let him be right!
ReplyDeleteRainy days & Mondays always get me down. Lucky for me, seeing a hope filled Monday post from you brings me right back up! Surrounding you with love & hugs this week. Give one to Margaret & Tim too. They each get one, and you get THREE squeezy hugs from me. Hope your spirit is renewed from your weekend. xoxo, michelle
ReplyDeleteA Severe Mercy is one of my favorite books.
ReplyDeleteI love the last quote. If the grief never passes entirely (and how could it?) I hope the periods of peace come more and more frequently and last for longer stretches every time.
ReplyDeleteAnna,
ReplyDeleteDid you ever read Lois Lowry as a child? She has some terrific books and here is a quote about grief from one of her books:
"Time goes on and your life is still there and you have to live it. After a while, you remember the good more often than the bad. Then, gradually the silent parts of you fill up with sounds of talking and laughter again, and the jagged edges of sadness are softened by memories."
Lois Lowry lost a sister and her grown son. She wrote a beautiful book "Looking Back" that reflects on her life and her grief.
Words can provide such comfort in sorrow.
Margaret
Some very deep, comforting thoughts here, Anna. Blessings- xo Diana
ReplyDeleteLove, peace and comfort to you, Anna. You are definitely making right and mature choices in how you are handling your thoughts and feelings and what you're choosing to focus on - and it's so clear that you are then laying it in the Lord's hands. I'd just like to say a rousing "you keep going, girl"!
ReplyDeleteWe are both on the same journey of loss and I have been reading your blog and praying for you ever since our mutual friend, Judy, told me about Jack in December. My Noah, was killed in a freak, utility-cart rollover accident in August of 2008 (at the age of 12). There are so many eerily and beautifully similar aspects about our journeys and our boys. I've been tempted, on a number of occasions, to jump in the car and make the 3-4 hour roadtrip to meet you for coffee and a hug. I guess it would be good if I coordinate that in advance, though...
Thank you, for so wonderfully and openly describing the journey of grief. In a way that's difficult for me to describe, I feel understood and affirmed and I think I understand your heart fairly well. The pain of loss is unquestionably deep, horrendous and lasting, but the unbelievable Love that we have from God and that we experienced "in person" through our special young men is also unending (and oh-so-precious)! Keep clinging to Him. May the great memories and poignant insights keep coming! (And let me know if you'd enjoy a roadtrip visitor :)
Oh. And the first quote. Totally. And I know you'll find a way to thrive in this sorrow, just as you found a way to touch such rare and unconditional love with Jack.
ReplyDeleteYou are always in my thoughts and prayers. ((HUGS))
ReplyDeleteMuch love right back to you Anna!
ReplyDeletePraying for you often, here's a song I think of every time I think of you xx
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4KiGN1j1No
The quotes are a balm, I hope. Loved the one Margaret E offered from Louise Lowry. I think of you all so frequently, Anna, but wish the one way thoughts could be hugs.
ReplyDeleteLove from a stranger.
ReplyDeleteClaire
Love, prayers, thoughts, hugs, to you, always.
ReplyDeleteSo much love to you back, dearest Anna (and familia). Praying for you always.
ReplyDeleteUry
Great quotes. The William Lynch one is going up in my kitchen. Needed that this week. Thanks, Anna.
ReplyDeletethank you!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how much beauty can come from such deep pain. Thank you for sharing those quotations.
ReplyDeletelove,
jbhat
He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds. (Psalm 147:3)
ReplyDeleteBut we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. (2 Corinthians 4:7-10)
So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you. (Isaiah 66:13a)
My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. (Psalm 119:28)
My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. (Psalm 119:50)
Some scriptures that may be helpful. They were to me in my loss. Praying and loving you and your family, Anna, even though we have never met.
Much love to you today Anna. I think so much of you and your family each day.
ReplyDeleteAnna Jack is there with you. He will always be. You just need to feel and listen. It may be in a smell, a color a penny on the floor but that is him say I am still here MOM. Love you
ReplyDeleteBlown away by the C.S. Lewis excerpt. I will keep that one close to me (although it also sets off my "arrogance meter" simultaneously when I read his words. "what mortals misunderstand"! C.S. Lewis is so humble! hahaha). He speaks truth, even so.
ReplyDeleteHere's another one for you:
"Parting is all we know of heaven and all we need of hell." -- Emily Dickinson
I saw someone post this on facebook and immediately thought of you.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.etsy.com/listing/69104738/little-dark-red-heart-lego-necklace
so much love to you all, as one of your readers wrote: "Praying you through", you all are in my daily thoughts...big HUGS xoxo
ReplyDeleteSending love your way today.
ReplyDeleteAnna, from a card following my brother's accidental death in 1988: "Life is eternal and love is immortal and death is only an horizon, and an horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight." I still have it written on a scrap of paper. Wishing you a new normal; I know the old normal is gone for good.
ReplyDeleteThinking of you and your family today Anna..
ReplyDeleteMuch love
Joyce
Anna... Driving thru Chevy Chase today, I saw a wreath on a house... with a huge blue bow on it. While I don't know for certain that it was there for Jack, it was surely a sign that people who have been touched by Jack are everywhere.
ReplyDeleteKnow that you and Tim and Margaret are in my heart and prayers this day and every day... You are greatly loved.
Sending hugs from the other side of town...
damn.
ReplyDelete"Hopelessly I'm taking a mental picture of you now 'cause hopelessly the hope is we have so much to feel good about" - lyrics from "Good Life" by One Republic. Love to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteI thought of you as I asked my husband and daughter to share what we love most about one another tonight at dinner. xo.
Love to you, too. Thanks for sharing the thought provoking quotes. Sending love and prayers.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Claire
Beautiful quotes...hope they are helping to bring you comfort. And much love returned to you, dear Anna. Hugs & prayers...
ReplyDeleteThat last one...whoa. Much, much love to you.
ReplyDeleteThose are beautiful..every one of them!! Thank you for sharing and I hope they are helping you too. xo
ReplyDeleteAnnie P.
I found a new one, and I like the hope it conveys. “We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams.” Albert Einstein
ReplyDeleteAnna, I came across your blog today through the Momastery blog I follow. I have never felt like contacting a blogger before, but when I started reading your blog it became abundantly clear that you and I unfortunatly have a lot in common. I lost my sweet 7 1/2 year old angel boy, Connor, on July 27th 2011, also to drowning. Our lives are forever changed, and most days it feels desperate and helpless. I understand that huge gaping hole that is always there staring you in the face, begging you to let go and just not be anymore. Mother's are not supposed to lose their child, siblings not supposed to know the awful pang of losing their brother. I have spent so many hours begging why, why, why???? Why did God give him to me if he was gonna take him from me so soon??? I will never understand the reasoning behind this enormous loss; I've realized it will never be ok by me and that's ok. I do know that I would never give one single second of the time I had with him and I would'nt have loved him less even if I knew we would only have seven years...even to save myself and my family from this grief. He is a light, an irreplacable gift, so is Jack. God saves those that seek shelter under His wings; that's how I'm surviving, some days better than others. There is a song I listen to often by Matt Hammitt called "All of Me". It relates very closely to the thought process of this blog post. I just wanted you to know how thankful I am that I found this blog. It is very lonely sometimes, not due to lack of support, we've had a huge outpouring of love. It's because I'm that mom...the mom who has lost an intricate, vital piece of her puzzle and nothing works right anymore. I feel blessed to have found someone who shares this unfortunate and very shakey ground. I will be thinking of you and your and family, as well as Jack. I will say a prayer for you when I say a prayer for me. Please feel free to contact me at any time, my email is knlord81@yahoo.com, I would love to hear from you.
ReplyDeleteLots of Love, Kristin