Yesterday presented an array of emotions. Brian’s grandmother went home to be with God and Bryce came home from connecting with God. Both marked with great significance. I don’t believe that these two events are coincidental instead I trust that they are God winks.
While the passing of Brian’s grandmother wasn’t a surprise, it does bring loss, grief, and an appreciation for a life well-lived. It wasn’t an easy life, but she navigated it through her deep faith in God. The last several years, she had been a hostage to Alzheimers, where she teetered between her cloudy memories.
And while, we processed that loss, we prepared for Bryce to come home from his senior retreat. We were informed that this closing would be full of emotion. Many of these young men have had deep spiritual awakenings and others have simply expanded their faith. Bryce was the first to step to the podium to share his experience of the time away. While I was sure that he would profess his love for us, he did not. (Yes, I had a twinge of “WTH”, but I sent my ego out of the room, and came back to the moment at hand.) Instead, he shared that because he grew up in a home of recovery, he thought knew everything there was about faith in God, but that this sparked a stronger connection. He shared that he really didn’t think he would learn anything new, but he did.
Each young man – all thirty-nine – came to the podium to elaborate on their own perspective. By the end of the ceremony, I was emotionally exhausted and completely unprepared for what would transpire at dinner. Bryce proceeded to make a tearful amends to each of us. While those are private, I will say that it made me appreciate his loving heart even more. And that he really sees us as for who we are as people, not just the parental figure heads. A true testimony on how God works in our lives.
So, two human beings connecting to God – one transitioning to a place where she is no longer suffering and the other strengthening and reaffirming his faith. Some days are simply marked in pivotal moments and yesterday was one of them.
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