Lament

My kind friend, who visited last night, left with me, a book, called "Lament for a  Son", by Nicholas Wolterstorff, Pub. William B. Eerdmans Pub.Co. Grand Rapids, Michigan. 1987 ISBN0-8028-0294-X.

Although I did not lose a son, much of what he writes so resonates with me, that  I will quote his words, changed slightly, to reflect my situation.

"She was a gift to us for 53 years. When the gift was finally snatched away, I realized how great it was. Then I could not tell her. An outpouring of letters arrived, many expressing appreciation for Di. They all made me weep again: each word of praise a stab of loss. How can I be thankful, in her gone-ness, for what she was? I find I am. But the pain of the no more outweighs the gratitude of the once was. Will it always be so? I didn't know how much I loved her until she was gone. Is love like that?"

The story is one of incredible poignancy. The author, Nicholas Wolterstorff, was a professor of Philosophical Theology at Yale Divinity School, New Haven, CT. One sunny Sunday afternoon, he received a telephone call  to tell him that his 25 year old son had been killed in a climbing accident, while climbing alone, in Austria. He had to fly to Austria, claim his son's broken body, and bring him home for burial in the US. He decided to publish this book containing his very private thoughts "...in the hope that some of those who sit beside us on the mourning bench for children would find my words giving voice to their own honoring and grieving".

He hits on so many reminders and thoughts that are common to people mourning the loss of a loved one, And, like others, in the same boat, asks "Where is God (and, or Christ) in all this?"

So far, I have found no satisfying answers. But the book is well worth reading by grieving people, particularly those grieving the loss of a child. We find we are not alone in our feeling and doubts.

Tired tonight. Trip to Denver, to see our eldest son, planned in a couple of days. Don 't know whether I will have time to write during the trip. Peace and love be with you all. Geoff