Life Update

Hey, friends.

I know it’s been a little while, but I had to take a small break from this blog and my writing. The last week or so has been one of the toughest of my life, and I needed to be there for my family. My blog and my writing is not priority over my family, so I let myself set it aside for several days, and allowed myself to not feel guilty about it.

My grandfather passed away last week. It has been very hard for all of us. We spent the last several days crying, hugging, seeing family, and planning and attending my grandfather’s funeral. It was emotional and heartbreaking.

When something like this happens, it makes you stop and contemplate your life. It makes you wonder if you’ve used your time the way you should. If you’ve done all you can to show God’s love to everyone you encounter. Suddenly, the little things that once mattered a lot, don’t matter anymore. Life suddenly seems so short and so precious.

Although the last week was filled with hurt, and pain, and emotion, I chose to try and see the opportunity in it. I tried my best to be there for my mom, to help with the little kids and keep our house clean. I tried to comfort my little siblings, and let my little brother sleep with me. I tried to be strong during the wake, funeral, and burial so I could comfort my cousins. Jake sang O Come To The Alter at the funeral, which was very emotional, but also offered hope and comfort to everyone there. We all used this time to pray, especially for our family and everyone effected by my grandfather’s death, and to lean on God.

It’s times like these that we need to hold on to family and friends. It’s also times like these when we learn who is really there for us, and we realize that those people are valuable. They are the ones you will keep around forever.

This week I realized how strong my mother and grandmother really are, and how much I look up to both of them. I realized that it’s okay to hurt, and it’s okay to feel broken, and to lean on people. When I walked into church on Sunday, at the end of that hard, hard week, and I saw a group of my friends, and they rushed over to hug me, I almost cried. I need people. We need people. And that is okay. God gives us family and friends as a gift, and we are meant to lean on one another. We aren’t meant to hurt on our own.

I know this post has been heavy. It was hard for me to write, especially with tears blurring my vision, but thank you for being here and reading my thoughts. I also want to thank everyone who has reached out to help my family and I during this time. Every act of kindness, every text message, every phone call, is appreciated immensely.

To anyone reading this post, and feeling the weight of grief or hurt, our God is greater than whatever you’re feeling. This is a season. It might be a dark, cold, and painful season, but He is capable of giving us joy in the winter.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

-Philippians 4:6-7

With love,

Gabriella

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