comics

Sometimes the newspaper comics are funny.
Sometimes they hit the nose on the head politically.
Sometimes they are even spiritual.

On Christmas morning "Mallard Fillmore," a usually political cartoon with a bite that is not my political lean, touched me. The cartoon quoted a scripture by Isaiah. "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows."

As many of you know, my daughter who died accidentally at age 12, was born on December 22. So Christmas time is full of memories...her birth, bringing her home from the hospital on Christmas Eve, later birthday parties etc. I remember the first year following her death in June. I made it through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day without falling apart but by New Years Eve my defenses were down and I couldn't stop crying.

I know many of you have had losses in your lives this year, losses of parents, of children, of health, of finances. This thoughtful time of year can make those losses excrutiatingly painful. As New Years approaches reflecting on the past year makes the loss so real. What is coming in the next year? How will I cope?

It is crucial to remember we are not alone in our sadness, in our loss and grief. Emmanuel--God with us."He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows." His promise. Our reason for hope.

Blessings-Penny