I belong to an online grief support group. It is called Daily Strength. The people there are the most amazing people I have ever been fortunate enough to meet. One of the members posed a question a week or so ago and received an astonishing 117 replies.
What did she do with those replies? She turned her own sadness, her own grief into a beautiful tribute to all of us and to all of our loved ones who have gone before us.
Here is her tribute. Note: Every one of these pictures contain a missed, loved and cherished spouse.
God Bless You Judi - I am so humbled to call you friend.
Please take the time to watch the video - in doing so you will honor me and my many friends in remembering our loved ones.
In Judi's words:
It started a few weeks ago when i posted a seemingly simple request for all of us to introduce ourselves again, as there were so many new names. and to also add what you were praying for during this season of hope.
the response was beyond my wildest imagination. 117 people stood up proudly and with open hearts, told their stories. but what amazed me the most was that through all the grief, every last person who responded had a prayer.
i spent a week reading the profiles of all who responded, and i ended up realizing that this little post was in the end, my Christmas miracle. to see everyone's life before grief, was so beautiful that my heart almost burst with happiness for the miracles of love.
so i needed to do something with all this beauty, and decided to invite 117 guests into my heart for the holidays. i took every last answer to that post and copied them onto luminary bags and yesterday i lit them. and as each was lit and placed in my driveway , i said your prayers. i wish i had a camera to take the night picture, as they are gorgeous in the dark, but please know they will stay lit as long as the weather allows.
the best gift of the season is to remember the happier times and the love that lives on..... and to know that we are not alone..... we have each other.
so, the following link is a remembrance to the 117 guests that will live in my heart on Christmas day. i know that many of you that answered did not have photos to be included in this, but please know that you do have a luminary with your prayer.
i can not thank you all enough,
i so hope you enjoy watching this, it helped me so much to see the beauty of the lives that brought us all to this place!
enjoy, and my most heartfelt thanks and love to 117 hearts here on earth, and 117 angels in heaven
happy holidays
judi
Monday, December 6, 2010
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That was the most beautiful gesture, thank you for sharing this with us, btw how is the tinsel throwing going?
ReplyDeleteVery touching. Bless all the families represented. XX
ReplyDeleteThis brought tears to my eyes and the thought how lucky we are to know love in our lives. I can see the love in these pictures and in every case someone will be missed because they were loved so much. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI got goose bumps watching the faces of the lost loved ones. I am so happy you have a group of people that understand all the emotions that come with this extreme loss. What a beautiful video of happier times.
ReplyDeleteXO
ReplyDeleteThat is simply beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI'm all choked up over here.
ReplyDeleteTears streaming down my face. I did not know Judi had done this. And now I will find a pic of me and hubby to post, instead of the flower I have on the Dailystrength site.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful thing Judi did. Thank you for posting this. I really did not know.
Hugs
How beautiful. I have tears in my eyes. What a wonderful thing love is.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful tribute Judi created! Thak you for sharing it with us. I am so glad that you found such a supportive group. Take care.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful support group my sister Linda has found. I found myself crying at work as I was consumed by the video. I could sense the love in each and every photo. Blessings to all of you!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing such a beautiful tribute. I lost my sister, Dad and mom all in one yethe same year...This was bittersweet for me but sometimes that's just what we need.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh.....I cannot stop crying. For you. For them. For me.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully tears-in-the-eyes touching.
ReplyDelete