Rabbi Sharon Brous, in her book “The Amen Effect,” makes the simple yet compelling case for our need to “show up for the celebration, and to show up for the funeral. And to err on the side of presence.” Grieving alone is no better than celebrating alone. There is power and necessity in showing up when life adds another entry on the “Good News Wall” and when we are walking through the “Valley of the Shadow of Death.” Neither should happen in isolation. Both need the community to be present.
I’m looking forward to the community & your sermon on “ Showing up “ particularly in reference to the “ Valley of the Shadow of Death “ as I have recently “ lost “ my son to cancer. I struggle(ed) with the word lost, as well as many other terms used to describe this, pain, void, state of being, if you will . . . ✨✨✨He is very much a presence in my life & has lifted me up ✨regardless of the pain that continues, on occasion, to “Blind Side “ me ✨