Hope and Healing while grieving a loved one: a wife’s perspective
February 01, 2010 | By: Sheri Austin, Guest Author and Wife/Caregiver
In 2005, our family looked just like many other families. We were a blended family with two working parents, three children and a beagle named Bagel. I had just ended a twenty-one year career and was enjoying my new career as a teacher.
Fewer than sixty days into my new teaching position, my husband Jim was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Following brain surgery, radiation and nearly a year of chemotherapy, Jim was hospitalized. His body could no longer tolerate the chemo and his breathing was starting to fail. Our doctor recommended that we take Jim home with hospice care, where my husband died on January 1, 2007.
Through my journey of grief, I have found that hope is what I have needed to carry on without my husband. My faith in God was put to the ultimate test when we learned of Jim’s illness and when we faced his final days under Hospice of the Comforter’s amazing care.
The bible says that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed you can say “move” to a mountain. If you have lost someone you love, the mountain you might be facing is the loss of hope and unbearable grief, and feelings of anger and betrayal. When we learned of my husband’s illness we were just entering a wonderful time in our marriage, and I felt angry and ripped off.
In Pure Joy, the Divine Gift that sings in our heart even when things go wrong, R.T. Kendall writes, “One out of ten people find out that joy awaits them on the other side of betrayal.” Don’t let the loss of your loved one stop you from experiencing the joy that awaits you.
Through my journey of grief I learned to take extra special care of myself, and to take time to heal. Through this, and through my faith, I found hope again.
Hope has brought healing to my broken heart. Hope has helped me overcome hardships and the challenges I now face in my life as a single mom and a single business owner. Hope has empowered me to persevere in the tough times, like the holidays and towards an unknown future. Hope has given me the ability to encourage others.
Some days are difficult and the holidays are still hard, but I know that my best days are still ahead of me. My prayer for you is that you will find the everlasting hope that will comfort you when you are sad or lonely, encourage you on your tough days, and give you a smile when you feel like crying. The hope that will give you the strength to face each new day. The hope that will bring you joy.
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