And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Romans 8:38-39
Although I’ve written about this subject before, I am finding I need to write again about the death of my son, Michael, who drowned after suffering a seizure while on a fishing trip. To say that this was a devastating loss for my family and me would be an understatement. My heart was broken. My feelings were painfully raw and anguished. I woke up every morning realizing again that my son had died and experiencing another morning’s punch in the gut. My world had forever changed into one where I was no longer in control. It had taken on a surreal sense of loss and emptiness.
And yet…even in, and maybe especially in, this grief-stricken situation, there was God’s love. It came in the forms of friends and family who showed me how much they cared by being there for me. It came when friends flew in from Cincinnati and Houston to be with me. It came when Amy Meaux and my fellow members of Stephen ministry held me up and supported me. It came when Trinity Church and its members created the most beautiful and meaningful funeral service for my son and our family that we could have ever asked for. It came when William Barnwell took me to lunch and told me that, like his daughter Abby, Michael’s life had been like a sonnet, short, but rich and beautiful, unlike an epic which can be long and dry.
God’s love through Christ Jesus continues to fill me. Our family has become closer, my friendships are deeper, my feelings and actions are more loving in general. And Trinity Church has been there to reinforce this love, not just on Kit McLean’s Pilgrimages or during Bible studies, but virtually every time I walk into the doors of Trinity.
Gabriel's Oboe - Ennio Marricone
