Being on the Daniel Fast these last three weeks has opened my eyes and my heart to so many things lately. Although I have been a little frustrated with the lack of food selections and have been a bit testy at times, I have been seeking the Word more and I've been seeing God's manifestation in so much of my daily life. The winter months have been difficult for me emotionally over the past two years. It was two years ago on January 28th 2011 that my husband called me from home and said that my mother passed out in the bathroom and was barely responsive. She was rushed to the hospital and was put on a respirator immediately. She never really responded to us at all and she passed away on March 1. My memories of that time are still pretty fresh. Days and nights at the hospital, staring at the machines, conversations with nurses and doctors who became fast friends in that time of crisis. But one of the memories that I have is of my son's hockey team and their games. There was a game that night of January 28th and my son was playing. After spending the entire day at the hospital, Bryan and I went to the game. I remembered how my mother loved to see my son play hockey, and it felt good to resume that normal portion of my routine if only for one hour. My hockey friends were there. They hugged us, comforted us, and held our hands at that game. It was freezing in there as it usually is. But I held onto those hugs and facial expressions of concern to get me through what was one of the toughest days I had ever experienced.
Fast forward to last night. Another hockey game. It was freezing. We walked in and sat on the bleachers near our good friends Jane and Scott. She looked a bit tired, but of course that was not unusual. The JV games are at 8 and 9 PM. Pajama time for us- the over 50 crowd. Scott turned to us and said " I wanted you to hear from us that Jane's mom passed away a few nights ago." I was stunned and shattered for my friend. She couldn't even say the words and I know how that feels. Her parents would have celebrated their 68th anniversary in a few short weeks. So we huddled together. The "hockey moms" surrounded our dear friend who told the story of her mom's passing in between time-outs, referee calls, and goals. We held her hand as she talked about being in bed all day and only coming out for the game.
So this is Grace. The grace that God grants us in the most peculiar places. The ice skating arena of all places is where we sat together with warm hearts, and sympathetic ears, wiping away tears. I am so thankful for these public spaces that have become a place for us to share in life's good and bad times. He shows us how life continues, no matter how difficult it is to be in that space of grief.
2 Corinthians 1:4 says "He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us." Thank you Lord for teaching me to comfort, the way I was comforted. In the midst of a cold ice hockey rink.
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