Hey friends, it’s soooo hard when people around us are suffering and we can’t FIX it, right? This weekend I thought I’d share some resources and encouragement around the topic of “comfort”. You might want to check out two posts I wrote awhile ago titled, 3 Things We’re Learning from Loss, part 1 and 2.
Also…Two great ideas I heard about recently –
- For a new widow, giving her a small notebook is really good idea. All of my friends who have lost spouses (I unfortunately know a LOT of young widows!) say that it is just so hard to remember and take in information when you are reeling from loss. Writing things down in a notebook (and bringing along an extra set of ears) is good.
- I love this simple idea that makes me smile. The fun thing is that you can actually get Rae Dunn paper plates!
Some who have lost loved ones are helped by books. Others not so much. There’s no magic key, but sometimes it’s helpful to know there are others out there saying, “Me too.”
I feel like I’ve read just about every book out on grief, but I’m always open to more (You can add your recommendations in the comments!). A couple that have been the most helpful to me and my friends:
A Grace Disguised, by Jerry Sittser
Hope in the Dark, by Craig Groeschel
Holding onto Hope, by Nancy Guthrie
And if YOU’RE the one in need of some comfort…
Some inspiration from Instagram…
We talk often of “comfort food”. Besides the warm, magical taste of certain food, there are also the memories that come to mind. I still remember the special salad (not usually considered comfort food!) that my friend Debbie brought when we first moved to Minnesota, and the “sticky rolls” my Grams and my mom (and now I) make for any special occasion. Share your favorite comfort food in the comments (if you get this by email, just click on the title first) and here’s our Sticky Roll recipe:
Can of Pillsbury refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (exactly – BISCUITS)
Melt some butter (start with a stick)
Mix together cinnamon and sugar til it’s a very light brown.
Dip each biscuit in butter and then in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
Twist and put in pie plate.
Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes – better underdone than overdone! Serve immediately. (In addition, my mom mixes up powdered sugar, cream and vanilla to drizzle over the top!)
Ok, your turn! Recipes and resources you like for comfort??
These were all helpful for me after my 21 year old son passed away 3 1/2 years ago (Through the Eyes of a Lion helped me the most!):
Bible
Healing After Loss by Martha Whitmore Hickman
Good Grief by Granger Westberg
Tracks of a Fellow Struggler by John Claypool
Through The Eyes of a Lion By Levi Lusko
The One Year Book of Hope by Nancy Guthrie
Streams In A Desert Devotional by L.B. Cowman
Through A Season of Grief by Bill Dunn and Kathy Leonard
I can’t imagine how hard to have lost your son, Mary. I’m so sorry. May you sense God’s nearness and comfort today and may you see ways that He is redeeming your deep pain.
Thank you so much for sharing these resources! There are a couple I haven’t read and I look forward to checking them out.
I loved listening to Levi Lusko preach “Through the Eyes of a Lion”. That’s another option if someone would rather listen than read.
Thank you so much, Laura. It’s been a long, and excruciatingly painful journey, but for me, God has been ever present, and truly sustained me in the deepest darkest times! I have experienced God and healing on a much more intimate level like never before, and for that I am grateful!