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| Jami and her family, the day we left California to live in Oregon~July 2008 |
“The Lord is my
portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
—Lamentations
3:24
Two days after
Thanksgiving, Jami and her family arrived early in the evening with a food dish
to add to my menu.
She kissed my
cheek and wrapped her arms around me, hanging on tight. “How are you doing,
Mommy?”
My tears welled
behind lashes for the hundredth time that day. “I’ll be okay now that you are
here.”
She nodded. “I
love you, Mom.” She went about setting the table.
After our meal,
we set Joshua’s favorite birthday dessert on the table: New Orleans chocolate
cake. No candles. No singing. Quietly I sliced the cake, and Jami dished up the
ice cream.
One of my
grandchildren said, “Uncle Joshy’s cake tastes good, Nana.” I smiled, tears
stinging at the bridge of my nose.
Later, we cleared
the leftovers, and everyone spread around at different places at two tables.
I piled boxes of
puzzles on the breakfast bar and spoke to my grandchildren. “Okay, I picked
easier puzzles for you. We adults will help if you want.” Most of them chose an
animal puzzle and got to work.
I stood at a
distance and watched my family. My son-in-law helped two of his children with
one puzzle. What started out as an awkward night, celebrating Joshua’s birthday
without him, became a relaxed determination to honor him.
As I cleaned the
dishes and wiped counters, I quietly cried, so as not to disturb my family and
their peaceful moment.
Father God, thank
You for a family willing to gather together even though it’s difficult. We miss
our Joshua, and nothing we do will bring him back. Help us to love one another
through these hardest of days. In Jesus’s holy name, I ask. Amen.
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