Her words still speak to me...

Not that long ago, my husband was going through a box of old greeting cards he's saved over the years. They were mostly ones from me, the kids, and other important people in his life on special occasions. But, there was one there from 1991 that he pulled out to show me. When I saw the writing, I knew instantly it was from my grandmother.

As it turned out, it was a sympathy card she sent just after the tragic death of my brother-in-law, who was killed by a drunk driver in the prime of his life--just months after my sister-in-law had their baby boy. My grandmother knew my husband at that point, but not that well. But, her thoughtful words told of what a special person she was. She always took the time to send cards for people's birthdays and special occasions, but even sent kind words in times of grief and sadness. Her words so ironically and hauntingly gave me comfort as I read them more than 10 years later, almost as if she'd written it as a message to me as I feel the great loss of her in my life:

"It is not given to us to understand why we sometimes have to lose someone we love. I only know that God cares about us and that through faith in His love, we can accept whatever happens and know that eventually the whole picture will be made clear to us."