Coffee Talk with Christie

From me :
Is it FRIDAY YET?!?!?!? How are you doing today? I thought of you last night.

My friend:
I KNOW!! I’m sooo ready for this weekend. Thank you – it’s been almost 10 years but I’ll never stop missing him – he really was such an amazing man, father and friend and it is so devastating that he’s not here – I need him during the hard times and miss him during the happy times.

It just doesn’t seem right when people like that are taken from us – I know I should look at it from the “everything happens for a reason” perspective, but that seems naïve to me most days. So I just keep living a life that I think would make him smile, carry his lessons and try to be as good of a person as he was.

From me:
My grandfather passed away over 20 years ago, and it has only recently become easier for me to talk about it. I did not talk to anyone about what happened to him or how it affected me deep inside until I met Dan – I could not even utter the words for over 10 years after it happened.

I did not trust anyone – I would not let anyone get too close to me – I always had my guard up, because I was afraid that if I got too close to someone they would be taken away from me. I did not want to endure the pain of that happening again.

He wasn’t my father, so I am not trying to compare my situation with yours.

I really feel for you. If I can ever listen, be a shoulder for you to cry on or a strength to you – I’m here.

It is also hard for me to think of things happening for a reason, sometimes I feel like we are all checker pieces, on a grand checker board, that God just moves as he pleases – which can be very frustrating.

I try to remember that God is sovereign and merciful – He loves us so much and keeps our tears in a bottle (that’s what the Bible says). I know He cares for us – I think He knows everything from the beginning to the end, so trusting Him (though it is so very difficult at times) is what I try to do to get through each day.

From my friend:
I’ve never heard of God keeping our tears in a bottle, but the concept really comforts me – it makes them not seem so wasteful – that they are precious, which they are.

From me:
Psalm 56:8 - You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.

It is comforting, isn’t it.