“As a StoryAthlete, I know there is always an obstacle. Poor timing. Don’t feel like it. Sore muscles. No support. Not enough time. No money. Etc. The Inner Critic, i.e., the voice of the Lesser Self is a compelling temptress. On the Hero’s Journey, though, these obstacles are merely stepping stones. The Lesser Self wants me to quit. Return to safety. But behaving as my Heroic Self, I find a way.”
July 4th is a bittersweet day for me and my family, and probably always will be. It’s the day, three years ago, that my oldest son drowned while having fun with his friends at a nearby lake. The day is bitter, because the memories of that day come flooding back, and they are not pleasant. Yet July 4th is also sweet, because although I think of Nathan at least once a day every day, I’m grateful for a day where I consciously set aside time to think about him, remember him, and yes, even talk to him.
If it were just me alone, I’m not sure what I would do. But for my husband’s sake, and especially for my other children’s sake, I forge ahead to help us all create new, happy memories. Today, we had three different groups of friends visit us, and we had a sweet time with each one.
I believe my son’s life had meaning, and that his death has meaning as well. In relation to me, that meaning is to prove God’s faithfulness. Some people think that the statement, “God is faithful” means God is faithful to provide materially for us. That’s not entirely accurate. According to the Word, God is faithful to use every situation to call us into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ. If we will allow Him, He is faithful to purify our hearts until we can proclaim with the psalmist, “Whom have I in heaven but Thee, and there is nothing upon the earth that I desire besides Thee. My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion, forever.” It is my trust in my God’s unfailing faithfulness that provides me the way to make it through every July 4th.
