As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, I was thinking about grieving.

Grief is a difficult task to undertake, and it can catch you by surprise years later.

I think back to when one of my close friends went to see the Lord.

Father Larry was a priest for over 50 years and spent the last 28 years coming to my parishes, celebrating both Easter and Christmas, and spent a month in the summer (takes a special friend to come to Bakersfield in June and July!) He spent his life in Catholic education, but, most of all, he had a deep and close relationship with Our Lord.

I miss our Sunday night talks, the holidays, the traveling, and the summers. I miss my friend.

But I also sit out daily talking with our Lord, dreaming of that time that I see Jesus face to face.

I know there are stages of grieving. I have watched them and been through this before.

Today, I am going to choose to celebrate my friend!

I am having a second cup of coffee with Jesus and thanking HIM for the years he gave me with him.

I am going to reflect on his new life with our Lord, a life that he worked so hard for.

I am going to lift up his family, the Marianist community, and all the lives he impacted.

And I say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant, go and share your Master’s reward.”

And you would be very proud of your family, they think of you every day, they feel your presence, and they trust in God.

Have a blessed day!

As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, I was thinking about GRIEF.

I spoke with a number of people in the last few weeks who’ve experienced the loss of loved ones. When we are in the midst of that pain, we experience GRIEF.

One of my friends shared with me a quote that says, “And when nobody wakes you up in the morning, and when nobody waits for you at night, and when you can do whatever you want… what do you call it, freedom or loneliness?”

That is a lot to think about. Whenever there is loss, there is great change. I think when we are in grief, our emotions go back and forth.

Every situation is a little different, but the effects of GRIEF are profound! Another quote says, “GRIEF is just love with nowhere to go!”

If you, or someone you know, is experiencing grief, turn to our Lord! Let HIM embrace you and your uncertainty!

Jesus says, ”Come to Me, all you who are weary, and I will give you rest.”

Today, reach out to a friend who may be grieving, or if you yourself are grieving, spend some time with the Lord and feel His comforting embrace.

Have a blessed day!

As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, I was thinking about the word LOSS. Later today, I am attending the funeral of a longtime friend, someone who has always felt like part of my family. In the past, I know many of you have lost family or friends as well. I also know that grief is a part of everyday life; it is something thing we all have in common as human beings.

I read a great quote that Grief it’s just love with no place to go! I think the biggest struggle is what do we do with the LOSS. As a person of faith, I know that friends and family who have passed are OK. and sometimes I feel selfish for missing them so much. I think about the next life and it brings me peace. But you cannot avoid the emptiness and the sadness. So today, I’m going to allow myself to feel the loss and pain. It’s not self-pity; it’s just reality. I’m going to count as blessings those I’ve lost and be thankful for the impact they made in my life. I’m going to give thanks to God, because without experiencing loss, we can never experience gain. Have a blessed day.

As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, I was thinking about GRIEF.

As the holidays approach, those who have dealt with the loss of a loved one sometimes experience deep GRIEF. In my own life, I was thinking of the THANKSGIVINGS that we had when my mother and father and sister and brother were all here. Though it will never be the same, I cherish those memories, and I continue to try and celebrate the holidays.

I read a quote about grief, “In GRIEF I’ve learned, it’s really just LOVE. It’s all the love you want to give but cannot. All the unspent love gathers up in the corners of your eyes, a lump in your throat, and in that hollow part of your chest. Grief is just love with no place to go.”

But our world needs that love that we hold inside. We need to turn that love around and give it out to our families, the poor, the lonely. Then that love which we have for family members and friends continues to flow with our tears.

As we approach the holiday season, let’s look at the grief in our own lives and find a way to share it with others. Have a blessed day, and feel the spirit of those we miss; pay it forward, for they are just around the corner!

As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, I was thinking of the words GRIEF and GRATITUDE!

They do not seem to go together but I think they really do.

In Grief, we are deeply missing the love that filled our lives with Joy.

The pain when someone passes, however, can be overwhelming, and we forget the key element of GRATITUDE!

In our hearts, we are truly grateful to have experienced that LOVE, no matter the pain.

In moments of GRIEF, I turn to GRATITUDE for the great memories and love shared.

Just this morning, I was missing my family, my mother and father, both brothers, and my sister, who left this world too young.

The grief is real, but the love and memories are real, too.

I would rather have had the love and memories in my life than to have never experienced them at all.

I also trust in God’s promise that we will be together again.

So, in the meantime, I wait patiently for the great reunion.

GRIEF and GRATITUDE ARE LIKE, even if they don’t seem to be.

You know, peanut butter and jelly are an unlikely pair, and yet they go together too.

Have a grateful day.

As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, I was thinking about GRIEF. I spoke with a number of people in the last few weeks who have experienced the loss of loved ones. When we recall that pain, we experience GRIEF. One of my friends shared a quote they found that says, “And when nobody wakes you up in the morning, and when nobody waits for you at night, and when you can do whatever you want, what do you call it, freedom or loneliness?”

That is a lot to think about, because whenever there is loss, there is great change. I think that when we are in grief, our emotions go back and forth. Every situation is a little different, but the effects of GRIEF are profound!

Another quote I’ve found is, “GRIEF is just love with nowhere to go!” If you, or someone you know, are experiencing grief, then turn to our Lord! Let HIM embrace you and your uncertainty, for Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary, and I will give you rest.”

Today, reach out to a friend who may be grieving. Or, if you yourself are grieving, spend some time with the Lord and feel his comforting embrace.

Have a blessed day!

As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, I was thinking about GRIEF.  I spoke with a number of people in the last few weeks who’ve experienced the loss of loved ones. When we are in the midst of that pain, we experience GRIEF. One of my friends shared with me a quote that says, “And when nobody wakes you up in the morning, and when nobody waits for you at night, and when you can do whatever you want… what do you call it, freedom or loneliness?”

That is a lot to think about. Whenever there is loss, there is great change. I think when we are in grief, our emotions go back and forth. Every situation is a little different, but the effects of GRIEF are profound! Another quote says, “GRIEF is just love with nowhere to go!” 

If you, or someone you know, is experiencing grief, turn to our Lord! Let HIM embrace you and your uncertainty! Jesus says, ”Come to Me, all you who are weary, and I will give you rest.”  

Today, reach out to a friend who may be grieving, or if you yourself are grieving, spend some time with the Lord and feel His comforting embrace. 

Have a blessed day!

As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, I was thinking about the word LOSS. Later today, I am attending the funeral of a longtime friend, someone who has always felt like part of my family. In the past, I know many of you have lost family or friends as well.

I also know that grief is a part of everyday life; it is something thing we all have in common as human beings. I read a great quote that Grief it’s just love with no place to go! I think the biggest struggle is what do we do with the LOSS. As a person of faith, I know that friends and family who have passed are OK. and sometimes I feel selfish for missing them so much. I think about the next life and it brings me peace. But you cannot avoid the emptiness and the sadness.

So today, I’m going to allow myself to feel the loss and pain. It’s not self-pity; it’s just reality. I’m going to count as blessings those I’ve lost and be thankful for the impact they made in my life. I’m going to give thanks to God, because without experiencing loss, we can never experience gain.

Have a blessed day.

As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, I was thinking about GRIEF. As the holidays approach, those who have dealt with the loss of a loved one sometimes experience deep GRIEF. In my own life, I was thinking of the THANKSGIVINGS that we had when my mother and father and sister and brother were all here. Though it will never be the same, I cherish those memories, and I continue to try and celebrate the holidays.

I read a quote about grief, “In GRIEF I’ve learned, it’s really just LOVE. It’s all the love you want to give but cannot. All the unspent love gathers up in the corners of your eyes, a lump in your throat, and in that hollow part of your chest. Grief is just love with no place to go.” But our world needs that love that we hold inside.  We need to turn that love around and give it out to our families, the poor, the lonely.  Then that love which we have for family members and friends continues to flow with our tears.

As we approach the holiday season, let’s look at the grief in our own lives and find a way to share it with others. Have a blessed day, and feel the spirit of those we miss; pay it forward, for they are just around the corner!

As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, I was thinking about GRIEF.  I spoke with a number of people in the last few weeks who have experienced the loss of loved ones.  When we recall that pain, we experience GRIEF.  One of my friends shared a quote they found that says, “And when nobody wakes you up in the morning, and when nobody waits for you at night, and when you can do whatever you want, what do you call it, freedom or loneliness?” 

That is a lot to think about, because whenever there is loss, there is great change. I think that when we are in grief, our emotions go back-and-forth.  Every situation is a little different, but the effects of GRIEF are profound!  

Another quote I’ve found is, “GRIEF is just love with nowhere to go!”  If you, or someone you know, are experiencing grief, then turn to our Lord!  Let HIM embrace you and your uncertainty, for Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary, and I will give you rest.” 

Today, reach out to a friend who may be grieving.  Or, if you yourself are grieving, spend some time with the Lord and feel his comforting embrace. 

Have a blessed day!