Light Revisited

What they don’t tell you about aging is the frequency of loss. I’ve always had older friends. But the last few years the list of funerals seems to be getting longer each year. Since grief is both heavy and cumulative, perhaps it’s loss that makes people look and feel old.

Grief is a form of trauma, and we process trauma verbally. The longer we hold it in, the heavier it gets. That weight pulls the blinds on the windows through which we view the world. If we isolate when we most need friends, the darkness can consume us.

If we have grieving loved ones, we’re not helping them by changing or avoiding the conversations they need to process their loss. It’s those conversations that eventually lift the blinds and allow light back into their world.

Kevin “Catfish” Jackson introduced me to some of my favorite places, activities, and people. He was loud, fun, generous, and fearless (Well, at least I thought so before that anaconda slid off the stump into the murky water where he was standing waist deep!).

Kevin fiercely loved the Lord, his family, and his friends.

I hope I get some time at Kevin’s table at the Feast of the Lamb. He should be easy to find. Just listen for the rolling laughter. I can’t imagine anyone more suited for a feast for the King! He loved big meals with good friends and family.

Our friend, Patti, was recently clearing Kevin’s desk and found something I wrote years ago. She took a picture and sent it to me. If Kevin thought it was worth keeping for years, I think it’s worth sharing with you.

That’s Kevin second from the left, and me on the far right.