this week i have learned that i chose (am called to?) a profession where i will have to speak at times when no words are adequate. times of great sorrow and great joy are often beyond what we can quantify and qualify with our words. any attempt to do so pales in comparison.
so what do we do when there are no words? when there are no answers?
i watched my distinguished boss preach at his brother-in-law's funeral today. his first sentence: we shouldn't be here.
sometimes a simple truth is enough. we shouldn't have been there. he shouldn't have died and he certainly shouldn't have died as he did. to acknowledge that is a powerful use of few words.
the sermon continued, the most honest and powerful response to death that i have heard at a funeral.
even when there are no words, sometimes we need the words. to work out the pain, to reach out to each other, to find God in the darkness.
i imagine there will often be times in my career, again and again, where there are no words. i hope for the grace of God, the strength of the Holy Spirit and the presence of Jesus that i witnessed today in those times.
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Abby,
I hope that there are few times in your career where the words are hard to find because of the tragedy and pain of the situation. I have found that those are the times when one's presence speaks volumes, when just listening is most what is needed. There are no perfect words to say when a loved one is violently killed, when a child (G-d forbid) dies and such.
I have found that prayer, reflection and family stories of the deceased guide me through planning funerals and writing eulogies.
I hope this is helpful.
Leah
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