Good Shepherd Lutheran Church / Wednesday, March 3, 2021 / Categories: Publications, Daily Devotions Daily Devotion by Carol Wuebbling by Carol Wuebbling I am in mourning. My beloved 96 year old mother died recently, and I feel a huge dark emptiness where my mother always was. I guess I was prepared for her death; after all, she lived a long, long life. But I was not prepared for her absence. She always asked the pertinent questions; she listened well; she knew me for 73 years. And she loved us all unconditionally. But I knew Mom’s liver and heart were failing; I knew she slept through most of her days. And I was ready for the inevitable. So I drove to Michigan ten days before Christmas to gather Mom and Dad and family members at our cottage…knowing this would probably be our last Christmas with Mom. It was. Three days later, Mom died as she lived, lying peacefully next to Dad for 75 years. After the funeral rituals, the joyous tributes, and the gathering of family and a few friends around Dad, the reality hit me: Mom’s gone. I could no longer give her loving hugs, nor see her face to face, nor ask her questions whose answers only she knew. I felt alone. She’d been a model of Faith for me. The week before she passed away, her caregiver Sandy asked Mom if she was afraid to die. My mother replied, “No, of course not. I’m ready, whenever the Good Lord sees fit to take me.” Those words represent Mom’s confident, no-nonsense attitude toward life. And toward death. They should bring me comfort. But the dark emptiness is still there. Where is God in all this? Where is Christ? And when does mourning cease? Maybe we all are in mourning, in a way, struggling with the darkness of Covid curtailments, with no face to face meetings, nor physical contacts, nor natural conversations. In this season of Lent, perhaps our many losses come into sharper focus. Christ suffered and died, and rose from the dead. His model of sacrifice can only serve to strengthen our resolve: Mourning our day-to-day losses is normal. But we can trust that Easter is coming, that His victory over death will be ours, it will be my mom’s; it will be mine. And all the darkness of loss caused by Covid Constrictions will eventually end, too. Our Faith in God reminds us that he is walking the walk of deprivation along with us. And He encourages us to make his teachings come to life... to embrace the authority of his wisdom…to reach out to others in socially distanced ways and share our faith… to walk through the dark places and know that His Light is always there. What Peace that brings. Hallelujah! Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted Matthew 5:4 What a wonderful God we have…who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials Corinthians 1:3-4 Previous Article Daily Devotion Next Article Daily Devotion Print 7103 Rate this article: 4.3 7 comments on article "Daily Devotion" Ann Richhart Carol, Thanks for sharing. Many times I think I will call my Mom who has been gone many years and now lives in my heart. God continue to bless you 😀😍 3/3/2021 12:21 PM Reply to Carol Wuebbling Thank you, Ann, for reminding me that Mom still lives...in my heart. 3/4/2021 10:45 AM Reply to Karen Mazzei This is so beautiful Carol. Your words touched me deeply today. 3/3/2021 1:53 PM Reply to Carol Wuebbling Karen, you are so kind to respond. I feel blessed by your words 3/4/2021 10:46 AM Reply to Danelle Buelsing When my father-in-law died, my mother-in-law asked, "How do people do this without faith?" As you said so beautifully, Carol, thank goodness that we have our faith to carry us through our times of mourning. 3/4/2021 12:31 AM Reply to Carol Wuebbling Oh, Danelle, you are so kind to reach out. Your mother-in-law's words really hit the mark. Thanks so much 3/4/2021 10:47 AM Reply to Bea Broder-Oldach I am sorry for your loss. Losing a mom is hard. It is generous of you to share your journey, and open a pathway for others to reflect on experiences of love and loss. 3/9/2021 12:30 PM Reply to Leave a comment Name: Please enter a name. Email: Please enter an email address. Please enter a valid email address. Comment: Please enter comment. I agree This form collects your name, email, IP address and content so that we can keep track of the comments placed on the website. For more info check our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use where you will get more info on where, how and why we store your data. You must read and accept this rules. Add comment
Ann Richhart Carol, Thanks for sharing. Many times I think I will call my Mom who has been gone many years and now lives in my heart. God continue to bless you 😀😍 3/3/2021 12:21 PM
Carol Wuebbling Thank you, Ann, for reminding me that Mom still lives...in my heart. 3/4/2021 10:45 AM
Danelle Buelsing When my father-in-law died, my mother-in-law asked, "How do people do this without faith?" As you said so beautifully, Carol, thank goodness that we have our faith to carry us through our times of mourning. 3/4/2021 12:31 AM
Carol Wuebbling Oh, Danelle, you are so kind to reach out. Your mother-in-law's words really hit the mark. Thanks so much 3/4/2021 10:47 AM
Bea Broder-Oldach I am sorry for your loss. Losing a mom is hard. It is generous of you to share your journey, and open a pathway for others to reflect on experiences of love and loss. 3/9/2021 12:30 PM