Dearest Lovers of Loved Ones Lost,

You. Oh my, you. You are a soul that forges through the worse trenches, lost in the weeds of life that make less and less sense without whomever it is in your life that you've lost. But still, you forge. I am enamored and so humbled by your courage and your beautiful smile that you somehow seem to crack even as the weight of the world and the "what ifs" smother every breath you seem to have to fight for. I can't imagine your pain, but I wish I could wear it for you. I wish I could lift that weight off of your tired soul and allow you to float and once again feel all the beautiful things that life offers to you ... like the breeze through your hair, or the smell of wet grass, or join in on laughter with friends that really comes from somewhere deep and leaves you with real tears on your cheeks, or hear the birds conversing in the most lovely tones, or even just to feel how perfect your breath flows in and out of your mouth and that it would serve as a reminder that your life is still beautiful. I want to celebrate you and your courage and the way you meet every day with purpose when the thing you might really want to do is cry in a dark room all day. And sometimes you might cry all day in a dark room, and I want you to know that that's an okay thing too. I pray you let your soul feel whatever emotion that it needs to feel in whatever moment it needs to feel it, and I pray that you allow yourself to pull yourself to another level of grief once one passes, and that eventually grief becomes a distant memory. I want you to know that the absence of your dearest soul doesn't negate the importance of YOUR soul and it's health and happiness.

I can't do these things, but dear Soul I sure wish I could. To liberate you from your pain would be my greatest joy. Being but human, I could in no way harness the power to do such. But please know that the same creator that breathed life into you still cradles you and longs for your heart to be whole again. Have you questioned Him? Good, that means you've acknowledged His almighty power and ability to do all things. Have you cursed Him for taking your love from you? Does it make you feel like maybe you wouldn't be allowed or welcomed back into His presence? Please know this: He has never left you. You are His beautiful creation that He wants to smother in love and suspend your heavy heart in an atmosphere of hope.

Please be proactive in celebrating the life that you so loved. I pray your heart is prepared this Christmas season to be incredibly happy that beautiful memories flood to the forefront of your mind. Be happy because it means that your soul has been blessed with an incredible love, and know that even though it's duration here on earth may have seemed brief when compared to some people's "forever," that your love will live just as long and that some day when you reach the place that your love now calls home, you will be able to live out forever as you intended. But in the meantime, rest. You will find yourself exhausted in the search for normalcy, and while I applaud your seizing all opportunities to pull yourself through, I also want you to know that rest is allowed and required. Be with God and allow God to be with you ... silent ... in the same room as your maker. Because there's something really magnificent and magical about knowing you've been created for a purpose, but moreover, there's something inexplicable about resting your soul in the arms of the one who made it be and loves it so.

Sing hallelujah. Rise from your seat and sing hallelujah that you are not alone in this endeavor and that peace and hope and full life await you. Please seize it. I pray you do.

Sincerely,

Ryn