Bittersweet. There’s no better word to describe it. One of my extended family’s traditions over the holidays is to gather around Mom’s piano and sing Christmas carols together. It’s been a family favorite for as long as I can remember. That’s the sweet part.
The bitter part is that this used to be my sister’s favorite part of the holidays as well. Bernadette had such a love for Christmas, and her beautiful alto voice has been missed for the last 17 years. While nobody verbalized her absence this year, we all felt it – at least I suspect we did – for during the last song, Silent Night, the tears were flowing pretty freely. I was doing ok until I saw one of Berna’s sons stop singing, lower his head, and just weep silently. Without a word, his sweet girlfriend simply placed her head upon his shoulder and her hand upon his heart. That did it for me – I lost it – but only briefly.
For in that moment, I was reminded that while the Lord had allowed Bernadette to be taken earlier than we would have chosen, He has been faithful to give us others to help fill the void. While there is no replacing Berna, God has sent her husband a tremendous wife, who has also been a great mom to her kids. She loves them tremendously, and in turn, they love her as well. I am thankful, and God is to be praised – for He is good – even in our times of loss.
“The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21).
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