Time.....the Revelator....

Interesting how God uses His creation to give us life
pictures symbolic of our own lives at times. Woke to find this nest outside my
backdoor the other day with the four Robin eggs and no Mama Robin. After a
short while Papa Robin came and sat on the nest and then left for awhile, came
back, and has been continuing this pattern for the last three days with no sign
of Mama Robin. Could of course not avoid seeing the similarity between my own
life now with the four Boyz who will probably always be in my nest and these
four eggs ready to hatch and their concerned Papa Robin...

In the time since Barbara died so much has been revealed and
the reality of our circumstances has become more real and final as the days
march by in our journey through loss. 
We've realized that each of us needs to extend grace to each other as we
all are mourning in our own way and time....We know that this journey will
never bring us back to what once was....we will never be the same.....but we
have the hope of a new "normal," even knowing that there are going to be continuing challenges ahead.

Long ago, I read a book by Scott Peck called, "The Road Less Traveled." The only thing remember from the book is the first line, "Life is difficult."  In remembering this today, I was put in mind of another first line from a favorite  Dickens classic, "Tale of Two Cities,"........"It was the best of times and it was the worst of times."  Our God has met us in our sorrows and darkness and we have seen rays of hope and felt them warming our hearts. He has not let any of this go to waste...He has through His sovereign hands allowed each of us in our confusion, fear, sadness, and needs to be met by His Presence when we were open and to grow at our own pace..... As Dr. Joseph Stowell said, "Sometimes we say, "God is good," with tears running down our cheeks."

I know many of you who have been Barbara's readers for years would like for me to get back on track with her blog and all that it entailed. I cannot promise that. I'm in the process of finding my own voice separate from her.  In marriage you accommodate each other and hopefully become one....I am figuring out who I am without her.  I urge you to continue to use her blog as the resource it always has been.  The archives are rich with knowledge and wisdom. For now, my content will be about this journey until He sees fit to let me go.

In His grip,

Papa Tripp