Hail full of grace! The Lord is with you. ~Luke 1:28

The Lights Beyond

“The Lights Beyond” Kristina Lishawa Photography

After my daughter died 8 years ago, I lost a part of my heart. In the months that followed her death, people would often ask: “How are you doing?” I never knew how to answer that question because the experience of losing a child is indescribable. For me, my grief was like being locked in a tomb.

But in that cold and lifeless place, a close friend said: “Nancy, The Lord is with you, even in this dark place.” She too, had experienced the pain of grief.   Her words were like rays of light, seeping through cracks in stone.

No wonder the angel Gabriel shared these same words with Mary at the annunciation. As the mother of Jesus, she would need to remember that she was not alone. When she lost little Jesus in the temple and when she watched her son die on a cross, perhaps she recalled Gabriel’s words:

The Lord is with you….

How do these words speak to you?