Today is Easter, it is morning, and I am visiting the beautiful state of Georgia. I am at my brother-in-law’s home near Savannah, and as I sit at his breakfast table, I can look out of his enormous bay windows into his backyard. His yard is filled with a small herd of deer, whom he calls his girls, waiting anxiously for him to rise and feed them buckets of sweet corn. Just behind these lovely does is a sandy bank where his pond, glimmering with the morning sun, greets my gaze with the promise and beauty of Christ’s gifts of redemption and love. My brother-in-law’s home is a tranquil retreat from the world that bombards my heart with strife and turmoil.
My brother-in-law is a very talented and successful builder. He built his home for his dear wife who passed away last year on Easter Sunday. That is why I am here. My husband and I came to be with him so that he would not face this dreadful day, the first year anniversary of his wife’s passing, alone.
Today, we will visit her grave just blocks from their home. That was her request;. She asked to be buried near him while she awaits his arrival on the other side of life.
My husband and I have been her for three days now. There are other people here as well; friends who are just as concerned as we are for his health and happiness. He is ill. He suffers a life threatening illness, but he is strong and his will to survive seems to draw him back toward health.
I worry about him often. He lives alone. He does not have children to comfort and care for him through this difficult time in his life. In addition to losing his wife, he lost his dog and his mother last year. Twenty twenty was a very tough year for him. I hope that his health will return in twenty twenty-one, and that he will once again be the vibrant man that our family knows and dearly loves.
As I laid in bed this morning, awaiting the stirring sounds of my brother-in-law’s house guests, I thought of the beautiful plan of happiness our Lord has set forth for us. The most profound gifts given to man, redemption from his fall and freedom from the bonds of death, were granted to us through the sufferings of our Lord and His glorious resurrection. His profound grace enables us to reach out to Him and return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. These are powerful and amazing gifts.
Yet more than this, the Father and the Son reach out to us daily. They offer each of us peace, love, and comfort through the scarcities of life without regard to social standing, economic power, ethnicity, or any other qualifier. They offer the plan of redemption so that we might return to Their presence after our trials of life are over, and They offer eternal happiness through eternal families and eternal progression. These are amazing gifts and they are ours, if we will accept and earn them.
Today my brother-in-law faces a difficult day; he faces the one year anniversary of his wife’s death. He resides alone in his beautiful home near Savannah GA with a heavy heart and he combats a life threatening illness that leaves him weak in both body and mind. Christ loves him though, and offers to him the same gifts He offers you; the gifts of internal peace, eternal families, redemption from sin, error, and evil, freedom from the bondage of death, and eternal life. These are amazing gifts offered through His grace to all of us. These gifts give me great hope for my future, my brother-in-law’s future, and the future of all of the souls who have ever, and will ever, live on this world.
Not all who live here will believe or follow Christ. That is an inevitable, albeit tragic, statistic. It is one that saddens my heart, because in the darkest moments of loneliness and fear, some of God’s children are without Christ’s guidance, comfort, and love.
On this Easter morning, as I sit in my brother-in-law’s breakfast room, I appreciate the beauty of his tranquil yard, as well as, the profound and heavy loss within his heart. I am grateful for the glorious gifts and promises from my Lord and Savior, and I pray for peace on earth, comfort for those who mourn, and deliverance for those who seek it.
I believe in Christ, in His redeeming grace, and in the beauty of the Father’s Plan of Happiness. I believe in eternal families, and I believe in the glorious miracles of Easter. As I spend this Easter with my heartbroken brother-in-law, I pray that he will find comfort through Christ. Moreover, I hope, that should you desire the blessing of Christ, that you will welcome Him into your heart, and that you will experience His miraculous healing powers and love.
This is my testimony, that He lives, that He loves each and every one of us, and that He redeems all who love and follow Him. These gifts are mine and they are yours too. I pray that you will enjoy the blessings of Easter and that you will partake of its miracles through Christ’s love and grace.
My name is Tracy Renee Lee. I am a Certified Grief Counselor (GC-C), Funeral Director (FDIC), published author, syndicated columnist, Podcaster, and founder of the “Mikey Joe Children’s Memorial” and Heaven Sent, Corp. I write books, weekly bereavement articles, Podcasts, and Grief BRIEFs related to understanding and coping with grief. I am the American Funeral Director of the Year Runner-Up and recipient of the BBB’s Integrity Award.
It is my life’s work to comfort the bereaved and help them live on.
For additional encouragement, please visit my podcast “Deadline” at https://open.spotify.com/show/… or at https://anchor.fm/tracy874 and follow me on Instagram at “Deadline_TracyLee”.