Back to the Routine

Well, the holidays are over, and I won't lie: It feels good to be back to normal. I've found that the routine of the weekdays is a sanctuary in the grief process. And on this Saturday, we are enjoying a break from the cold with some much needed sunshine and 55 degree temps! Thank you God! I drove home today from the grocery store with windows down and winter coat off, which holds its own kind of simple joy after a cold snap.

I'm also glad the holidays are over because they were hard - really hard. For a period of several days, I just wandered around the house. There were goals I wanted to accomplish, like cleaning out closets, but it didn't happen. To be honest, it was an achievement just to make it to the end of the day most days.

Grief is a strange animal. There are days that are really dark, and there are days that are not so bad - even good sometimes. Now don't get me wrong, not a single day goes by that I think of her. But I've been thinking a lot about the strange mix of sadness, longing, missing, and joy that happens in the grief process. And let's face it, if there wasn't some joy, something to be thankful for, we wouldn't be able to go on.

I've been working my way through a devotional book, The One Year Book of Hope, by Nancy Guthrie. Now, if you are going through grief, I know the first thing you will ask is: What gives her the right to talk to me about hope right now? Well, she has been through it, folks, and she is still alive. That's all I will say, and you can read her bio here.

So, here is an excerpt from the entry I read today in her book.

"Sometimes we are afraid to laugh lest people think our pain has passed or that our sorrow has been a sham. But just as tears give vent to the deep sorrow we feel inside, laughter is evidence of the deep joy that abides, even in the midst of sorrow, when our hope is in Christ. Mysterious and amazing joy that has nothing to do with denial is part of what it means to grieve differently from those who have no hope. Laughter reveals that while grief may have a grip on us, it has not choked the life out of us. Laughter takes some of the sting out of hurt. It gives us a perspective and relieves the pressure. In fact, laughter helps control pain, not just emotionally but physically. It increases the production of endorphins, our bodies' naturally produced painkiller. It gives us a mini-vacation from our pain. And don't you sometimes feel as though you would like to take a day off from your sorrow? Won't you give yourself permission to laugh a little and enjoy some relief from the pain?"

So, today it's time to a deep breath and allowing  myself to experience laughter. I'll leave you with this today. "A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones." Proverbs 17:22 (NAS)

Allowing laughter to take some of the sting out of the hurt. (NYE 2011)