Bitter-Sweet

It's funny how things can change so quickly. How one event - or one piece of news - can send that silence into the air: so solemn and thoughtful; so full, but also so empty.

I heard today that someone left this world. It's something we all hear often enough. But still, I find myself stopping to think about it. Stopping to contemplate what death can mean.

Death, on instinct, is a sad thing. It's the word that symbolizes someone leaving; a separation coming between us and someone we love. But it also means that someone's gone home.

With the loss of my Granny early this year, the bitter-sweetness of it all is still fresh in my heart. I miss her, as we all do. Sometimes, I still wake up in the mornings and forget that she's gone. I'll think, I should check on Granny, or - later in the day - I should get her food - maybe popcorn. She loves to snack on popcorn. And then it hits, and I sit back, wondering why I feel so lost. Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I only remember. Either way, it still hurts.

Granny is home. I know that. And when those moments of grief are over, I remember how glad she must be, and how much happiness she and Grandpa must feel to be together again.

For the ones who leave, death is a happy thing. For the ones left behind, it's an event of mourning and awful sorrow. But no matter what, we must remember this: we'll all be together again someday. This time apart is only temporary.

That's one of the many reasons I love this gospel so much. It's a true comfort. It gets me through every day, in many countless and beautiful ways. I don't know what I'd do without it.

So be of good cheer, my friends! Life gets tough. It gets dark. And sometimes it's so hard, we don't think we can ever get through. But we can. And we will, if we simply have faith in the Lord and trust Him with all things.

God bless! And may He comfort all who are grieving.
To my cousins Rachel and Spencer - I love you!

Bonnie Gwyn