Tidal Waves of Grief

Grief seems to hit us like a tidal wave at times when we least expect it. We can be plodding along in life "okay" when all of a sudden we get smacked hard with the reality of our loss, and we're left feeling like we're drowning in a sea of sorrow with no life jacket in sight.

Being aware of how grief works is a critical part of our grief journey. Knowing that we can get these "grief attacks" unexpectedly can actually help us to prepare for them. When your tidal wave of grief hits, take some long, deep breaths, and prepare to wait it out. Don't fight it or try to swim against the tide. You will only exhaust yourself both physically and emotionally. Feel the pain with the knowledge that following this storm, the seas will once again return to calm, and

you will have better days ahead.

The pain will begin to subside as you begin to acknowledge the fact that grief attacks are only momentary in nature. The raw part of grief work has already been done, adn you will be able to manage your grief by thinking more calm thoughts, journaling your emotions, taking a walk among nature, and calling on a friend or two for some encouragement.

Did you get hit by a tidal wave today? Take courage in knowing that you're going to make it. Others have walked this path before you and they've made it and you will, too! Your hope is bigger than your fear. Your courage is stronger than your pain. And, your hope is always alive and at work!

A thought: "I will face my pain with courage. I will make it!" -Clara Hinton

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory." --Psalm 84:11

NOTE: It is always my prayer that you've received some much-needed hope and encouragement by visiting this place of hope!

Love,

Clara Hinton

Prayer is an Amazing Avenue of Healing!

Are you feeling overwhelmed by loss today? Does it feel as though life has abandoned you and you’re all alone in your grief? Have you come to the point of almost wanting to give up?

Hold on! There is hope beyond the grief, and that hope never fails to arrive at just the right moment in your life!

Take a walk alone today and look at the sky, slowly breathe in the air, and feel the breeze brush gently across your face. Hear the whispers of God in all of nature and allow His presence to touch your heart. Feel His nearness and be assured that you have not been left alone in your pain.

Prayer is an amazing avenue of healing because it allows you to talk to the Physician, and the One who truly understands. You can say what’s on your heart and mind without fear of being misrepresented or misunderstood. There is no fear being placed on you when you speak to God in prayer. He listens. He understands. He sends comfort. He is your tender Father who cares.

What is on your heavy heart today? Sadness? Emptiness? Loneliness? Feeling forgotten and misused? Feeling abandoned? Then walk among the fields. Touch the lilies. Catch a butterfly. Allow the raindrops to fall gently across your face, and know that you are never alone! Hope is alive and will continue to grow stronger with each passing day when you open your heart to prayer. – Clara Hinton

“Praying is talking in confidence to the One who cares.” --C. Hinton

“Pray without ceasing.” -- I Thessalonians 5:17

Remembering Happy Times Brings New Hope!

Any kind of loss is hard. Loss of job. Loss of home. Loss of a beloved pet. Loss of a friendship. Most difficult of all to bear is the loss of a loved one—especially the loss of a child. Children are never supposed to die before their parents!

How does one find hope when all hope seems to be gone? Somewhere on this journey of grief, we begin to remember happy times. At first it’s painful and often seems a bit disrespectful, but eventually those memories bubble up and fill our hearts with joy!

The happy memories become a healing salve to the raw pain that we once felt. Once of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves (and this takes time to reach this point) is to be able to remember the times of laughter and fun shared with our loved one!

Give yourself permission to remember the happy times! When you do remember those times of laughter, fresh hope will flood your soul with healing peace and joy! –Clara Hinton

“I will remember my loved one with joy, and I will feel at peace.”—Clara Hinton

“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” Proverbs 17:22

There is Comfort Found in Quiet Time with God

Hurry, hurry, hurry! Rushing here and there and really getting nowhere seems to be the way we live life when all is normal and well. BUT, when grief strikes the depths of our heart, we suddenly find that a song of a different beat is sung. “Time stands still.”

Quiet times become much harder to handle. Our loneliness seems to shout out to us in the silence and reminds us that nothing is right, and life has been turned upside-down. We grasp for some normalcy of the hustle and bustle of life again, but it doesn’t happen. Not yet. Not when grief is raw and new.

Busy lives are most generally happy lives, but there does come a season when it is good to be still. Sometimes we have to wait out the storm and regroup. We need time and space and even some silence to find that place called our “new normal.”

In the battlefront of our tears and grief, we often find the most comfort from retreating from the hurriedness of life for a while and just being still. Sitting among the solitude of nature is often grief’s most helpful comfort. In the still of the night is the time we can most clearly hear the whisper of our closest Friend, our Father, our Comforter.

Don’t fear the quiet; rather embrace it for a season. Take time to listen for the quiet, yet powerful voice of hope whispering in your ear daily. Hope will eventually take root in the very depths of your heart and grow into a spontaneous, healthy new joy! --Clara Hinton

“Without fear, I will sit quietly for a season in my house of grief until my newfound hope appears.” --Clara Hinton

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” -Psalm 23:1

The Love Holiday

This week we will celebrate a holiday that is typically known as the “love holiday.” Millions of dollars will be spent on chocolate candies and flowers. The phone lines will be busy all day long making calls to special people. The card shops will be busy with all of the last minute shoppers for Valentine’s Day.

Yet, in the midst of all of this happiness there will be countless people grieving losses and feeling the hollow hole that can only be created by being alone. This day, February 14, will be one that will pass by and so many will feel alone, unloved, and forgotten.

Losing a loved one is a pain that is hard to describe. And, losing a child is a pain that is even more difficult to describe because children are never supposed to die before their parents. But, the sad truth is that every day this type of loss occurs leaving many parents grieving and feeling lost in a world that hardly seems to care.

Let us never forget, no matter what type of loss we are grieving, that we are never alone. God has promised to be by our side, to care for us, and to tenderly provide what we need especially during our times of brokenness.

Every time you look at the intricate markings on a flower or see the sunbeams dancing from heaven, be reminded that your Father made them with great care. Remember, too, that He made you, He knows you, and He has known you since the beginning of time. What a thought! We are never alone or forgotten with God as our Father!

On this special day when love seems to be in the air, sit still and allow God to embrace you with His love. Close your eyes and feel His very presence, and know that all is well with your soul when God is by your side! –C. Hinton

“God is the one and only true love.” --Clara Hinton

“Thou art my hope; O Lord God…..” --Psalm 71:5

Be Still and Listen

When life comes crashing down on us, the very last thing we want to do is be still. We want to “fix” the problems. We want to do something to make the pain go away. We want to take action now so that we can prevent things from getting any worse.

Yet…..these are the times when we cannot fix things. We cannot make everything go back to how it was before the crises. There are times when an unexpected illness strikes. A relationship is abruptly ended. A loved one dies. And we are left totally broken.

This is when we need to be still. Be still and listen. Be still and wait for our Comforter. Be still and feel the very presence of our Father wrapping His arms around us. Be still and hear to the voice of the One who truly loves us. Be still and allow the seeds of hope to be nurtured back to life.

Are you in pain today? Is your heart aching with loneliness? Take some time away from the everyday activities of life and simply be still. As you are still, you will receive the much-needed replenishment and hope you need to carry your through the day! Be still and be filled with hope! –C. Hinton

“The ember of hope is always glowing within your soul.” C. Hinton

“Be still and know that I am God.” --Psalm 46:10

Trust is Believing When you Cannot See!

This is the season when we are supposed to be filled with joy and thanksgiving, yet it is so difficult to even say those words during times of painful loss. There is an emptiness that won’t go away, that can’t seem to be filled, and that continually gnaws at the heartstrings letting us know that something is wrong.

Remind yourself often that grief is a very private matter, and it affects all of our relationships with family, friends, and our world. Inwardly we know that there will be a day and a time when we can freely and easily say “thank you,” but maybe that day is not right now. The important thing is to know that there will be a day when you will feel joy and thankfulness again.

A good alternative to thankfulness is trusting……trusting that one day you will feel thankful. Trusting that you will smile again. Trusting that you will laugh with others again. Trusting that you will love again.

There is a seed of inner strength we call hope that is embedded deep within the center of your heart, and in due time that seed will sprout. And, you will know because what is now dark will come alive. What is now sorrow will be joy. What is now pain will be peace. Trust and hope and thankfulness will follow! –C. Hinton

“I will trust when I cannot see.” --Clara Hinton

“But as for me, I trust in Thee, O Lord.” --Psalm 31:14a