Rev. Scott's Weekly Devotional
August 30, 2007
Special Days
Grief is a funny thing. It is what we go through when we experience a loss. We experience it when the losses are small and when they are great.
Today, I am mindful of the presence of grief, because today is a special day. My daughter, Whitney Paige Carlson was born on this day, seventeen years ago. I remember laying eyes on her for the first time.
She was born with jet black hair that stood straight up in the air. Even then it was as if she was saying to the world, “Here I am, notice me!”
She had this incredible life and spunk about her. In elementary school, she took pride in wearing different color socks. It was a way that she expressed her individuality.
She was always quick to smile or laugh. She could come off as a dumb blonde. But she has such depth. My wife Debbie often described Whitney as one in which “still waters run deep.” Whitney took time to journal and reflect deeply upon life, even though the impression was that she was just moving through life.
Whitney loved people. She loved her mom and step-father. She loved Debbie and jokingly (at Debbie’s urging) called Debbie her “Wicked Step-Mother.” And she loved me. The last two summers with us, she was so concerned to understand how she was like me. She even involved all of us in a quest to help her understand the many ways in which she was like me. I am honored that she loved me so, that she wanted to understand how much like me she was.
Whitney loved people. She made friends easily. She didn’t like to see people left out or alone. So she went out of her way to befriend new people and to help them get connected with others.
I am so proud of Whitney. I loved her so. Today, she would have started her senior year in High School. Please say a prayer for her friends in Fargo, who are starting school dealing with the death of Whitney from this past summer. They are celebrating her birthday in Fargo, by eating birthday cake during the lunch hour at Fargo South High School, cake donated by two different grocery stores in Fargo.
I am not able to share her birthday today with her, but I hope it is okay that I share memories of her, on this day with you. Today is a special day. It is a day that I feel sadness. It is a day that I feel love. It is a day that I feel gratitude for having a hand in the life of one incredible girl/young lady named Whitney.
When grief threatens to overwhelm me, I think of the words Jesus said, which are recorded in Matthew, “Come to me all you who are burdened and I will give you rest.” They are words that remind me that I am not alone. I don’t have to face the pain, hurt and grief all by myself. So, on this day I am grateful to God for walking with me through this time of pain and grief.
If you find your heart heavy because of the difficulties you may be facing, my hope is that you will be able to turn to the One who wants to lift your burden and give you rest.
In the hope Jesus offers us,
Rev. Scott Carlson