Tuesday, January 15, 2013

circle of life

Yeah, I know. Cue The Lion King music! But as cheesy as the title is, it fits.

This past Friday (January 11), my cousin gave birth to her second child. She had a boy, and she named him after my late grandfather. It is a lovely tribute, and I know my grandfather would have been thrilled. My cousin and her baby are both healthy and whole. We rejoice with her.

This past Friday was also the day that my husband's grandmother died. She had been battling cancer for a long time. She was an incredibly kind, sweet, gracious lady. We mourn her loss.

My brain and my heart are having a hard time reconciling these two events on such opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. I truly rejoice for my cousin and her husband. I truly grieve the death of Grandma. It seems so strange to have both reactions dueling within me.

And yet...isn't that life as a whole? Isn't that how it so frequently goes? We laugh. We cry. We dance. We stumble. And sometimes, we do it all at the same time.

2 comments:

Tara said...

Ah yes. Grieving for Sean reached a whole new level when I finally realized that God gives us the ability to experience both joy and grief all at once. You don't necessarily get over or move past your grief completely. But you can find joy and embrace it fully. I think it's a beautiful thing.

Unknown said...

(((hugs)))