This week of class has found me wading through a lot of old thoughts and feelings from a very difficult time in my life that on many levels, I am still working through. But today as I sat in class listening to heartbreaking story after story of what people have gone through in life, I realized something...even in the midst of my darkest hour, God was walking with me through those who were around me. Many people don't have the kind of friends who will just sit with you while you cry and not say anything...but just sit and be there. Many people don't have the kind of friends who will let you grieve how you need to grieve and not try to hurry you. Many people don't have the type of friends who recognize that there is a time for laughter and a time for tears and act accordingly. Many people don't have the type of friends who won't give you useless cliches or tell you to have more faith. But I do.

As I have processed and learned things this week in my class, I recognize that I would be a lot less further along had I not had these types of friends around me. They are to me an image of grace. And though I have always been thankful for them, I have never been more so than today when I heard just how many people did not have these type of people in their lives. This picture above represents to me those people who walked with me through that time in my life and who are still today people whom I treasure with my whole heart. There are others, but these were there and have continued to be there through it all.

One of the profs today said the following quote and I think we would all do well to take it to heart as those around us grieve various types of losses...I know to me, it was the most important thing anyone did:

"You will never outgrow the ministry of presence...just being with people and grieving with them."