Signs of Hope — grateful, yet grieving

(Photo: Unsplash)

Before GPS and Google maps, I would use a map when driving. Maps would guide me to my final destination, but I needed the signs along the way. Those signs told me that I was on the right road and would tell me how far to the next city.

Signs gave me hope. Henri Nouwen’s words reflect this:

“When we become aware that we do not have to escape our pains, but that we can mobilize them into a common search for life, those very pains are transformed from expressions of despair into signs of hope.” 

— Henri Nouwen —

In my early days of grieving, I needed signs of hope, something I could see, hear or touch. When I saw the beauty in a sunset, I was reminded that time will continue. When I smelled the flowers in my yard, I could see how time causes growth. When I opened a card or note from a friend, I felt seen and encouraged.  These became visible symbols of hope.

Somedays I felt like there was a gray fog covering the signs of hope. Like driving in the fog, we can only see what’s right in front of us, not the entire landscape. Emerging from the fog is a gradual process. We don’t go from deep fog to bright sunlight in a minute. We move out of the fog into the sunlight, slowly and gradually.

Hope is like that. Hope is a moving forward, amidst our loss. Hope is a moving away from fear. Hope is found as we keep going, daily depending on the Giver of Hope to sustain us, carry us, guide us, and hold us.

Give

Subscribe to the Daybreak Devotions for Women

Be inspired by God's Word every day! Delivered to your inbox.


More from Pam Luschei

  • featureImage

    Moving toward the Light — Grateful, yet Grieving

    This past summer, I was able to travel with my two adult children to four national parks. With the limits of travel due to the quarantine, we made a road trip and went to Yosemite, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier. I made a goal of seeing the sunset in each park at least once. As I

    3 min read
  • featureImage

    Creating Hope — Grateful, yet Grieving

    After college, I worked with children with special needs in a child development center. One of the activities I would create for the children was an art project, usually with a theme or related to the season of the year. I remember distinctly that it was all about the “process, not the product.” Ea

    2 min read
  • featureImage

    Temporary Gifts — Grateful, yet Grieving

    Last week was my wedding anniversary. The date on the calendar has been etched in my brain since 1981, when I walked down the aisle. It was a day of gratitude for the years I did have, while grieving the years I didn’t get to have. Recently, while attending a memorial service, I heard the

    2 min read
  • featureImage

    Three Funerals and One Graduation — Grateful, yet Grieving

    So much of life is defined by beginnings and endings. In the last 6 months, I’ve attended three funerals and one college graduation. All of the events were marked by a start and a finish. All of the events provided the participants with an experience of collective connection. The funerals were all

    2 min read
  • featureImage

    Keep Going — Grateful, yet Grieving

    By Sarah Christy I am someone who knows grief and desires to live in the light. I am a writer and a close friend of God who prompts me to Keep Going. I have always enjoyed words and stories and have used journaling as a way of processing my life. My husband of 58 years died in June. He had Alzhei

    3 min read

Editor's Picks

More from Pam Luschei

  • featureImage

    Moving toward the Light — Grateful, yet Grieving

    This past summer, I was able to travel with my two adult children to four national parks. With the limits of travel due to the quarantine, we made a road trip and went to Yosemite, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier. I made a goal of seeing the sunset in each park at least once. As I

    3 min read
  • featureImage

    Creating Hope — Grateful, yet Grieving

    After college, I worked with children with special needs in a child development center. One of the activities I would create for the children was an art project, usually with a theme or related to the season of the year. I remember distinctly that it was all about the “process, not the product.” Ea

    2 min read
  • featureImage

    Temporary Gifts — Grateful, yet Grieving

    Last week was my wedding anniversary. The date on the calendar has been etched in my brain since 1981, when I walked down the aisle. It was a day of gratitude for the years I did have, while grieving the years I didn’t get to have. Recently, while attending a memorial service, I heard the

    2 min read
  • featureImage

    Three Funerals and One Graduation — Grateful, yet Grieving

    So much of life is defined by beginnings and endings. In the last 6 months, I’ve attended three funerals and one college graduation. All of the events were marked by a start and a finish. All of the events provided the participants with an experience of collective connection. The funerals were all

    2 min read
  • featureImage

    Keep Going — Grateful, yet Grieving

    By Sarah Christy I am someone who knows grief and desires to live in the light. I am a writer and a close friend of God who prompts me to Keep Going. I have always enjoyed words and stories and have used journaling as a way of processing my life. My husband of 58 years died in June. He had Alzhei

    3 min read