“Jeff, Friends, Pain & Joy!!”

Good Morning and welcome to Wednesday! Hope your week is going well. Headache was much better this morning. Have my appointment this morning for radiation and then meet with one of my Dr.s after that treatment. I meet with him each Wednesday to process how the radiation and chemotherapy are going. I have fifty different thoughts running through my head this morning and will share a few based on this picture.

Jeff Shoemake sent me this picture that he drew recently. I can’t even begin to explain how much this means to me, and it has stirred up so many thoughts form many many years ago.

Jeff and his older sister Gena were both a part of my youth ministry in the 90’s. To be honest, in my humble opinion both Jeff and his sister are and were incredibly gifted in many different ways. Gena was and is an incredible musician. My impression is she has greatly influenced her kids and they too are becoming gifted musicians. Jeff has developed some amazing talents, one of those is his art work, and Jeff has struggled in some other areas of life. I feel like I have some understanding of that and also have tremendous respect and love for the man he is today!

Jeff for several years was very active in the youth ministry that I led. He had a special and close relationship with Jonathan Bragg. Jeff and Jonathan were both incredible leaders in my youth ministry. When I say leaders, I mean that they both had tremendous influence. They were not perfect because nobody, myself included is perfect. These two made a difference in the world and both had “influence.” Jonathan, in a tragic, goofy single car accident died one evening. He was 17, his death made absolutely no sense, and many people struggled with his loss. It was very challenging for Jeff to understand, process, and move forward without his best friend.

Grief is fascinating to me. It is a natural part of this life and we all deal with it in different ways. I honestly believe that once we eventually work through, accept grief, and the reality of losing people we love, it makes us stronger and healthier people. I also understand for most of us this process takes time, and we each walk through it in many different ways.

So, back to this picture. I am working through some grief right now. Not so much that I have a brain tumor that will eventually take my life. I honestly understand that we each will die at some point. My grief is how this will impact my wife, my kids and that I will have grandchildren that I won’t get to be a part of their lives in ways I have dreamt about. But,,,, the incredible gift form Jeff of this picture simply reminds me of how much my life has mattered. That being a husband, father, friend, pastor and counselor have been such a gift. A gift that my life ending in no way takes the gift away. In fact, realizing my life may be ending actually makes the gifts even bigger.

I am so grateful for Jeff Shoemake. I am grateful that for several years he was a part of my life and a gift in so many ways. I so appreciate, love and respect how he has worked through some very real pain and loss in his life. I also see how that grief and pain have slowly shaped who he is and how he is making a difference in the world in some very special ways.

Thanks Jeff! For being you, sharing you life and sharing your talents with me and so many others. You are loved and of great value!!!

What about you? How are you walking through and working through some of your own grief? As you continue to walk through and work through that, how can you use that reality to love, connect and encourage others? How might you be able to step out of your own pain and grief a little by focusing on someone else’s pain and grief?

You are each loved and of great value. Go be a little sunshine to someone today who simply needs to be seen, heard and loved!

Peace,