Friday, January 6, 2023

January 6, 2023 DDF Breathes New Life Post/Beauty in Nature


January 6, 2023

I began this week on a note of positivity trekking through the beauty of the mountains. The peaks are amazing and you just feel untouchable, but down in the valley is where I found myself on Tuesday. 1st day back and I am told that one of our 9th graders died over Christmas break. He already had multiple health issues and as his mom said “this time his body just could not recover.” It is an overwhelming sense of sadness and responsibility when I am asked to break the news to his classmates. I couldn’t focus so I had to write out a script and the crisis management helped me practice it. It is strange that you must be aware of your tone, speed of speech (I speak fast naturally so slowing down to a few trial runs), and then the pauses. I had to count to 20 between each of my sentences. It felt so rigid, but when I was in the moment I could see why. The pauses allowed me to compose myself as well. My emotions would have spilled over, and I would not come across as someone the kids could come to cry it out. If I was a mess, then they couldn’t feel they could be a mess. The teacher lost it, and I almost did too. One small hiccup and I moved on from information mode to let’s talk about emotions and let me help you process this information. I don’t know how people in the professions who must inform families of a death do it on a regular basis. It was so difficult, sad, and thankfully I held it all together to support the students then cried afterwards. When I asked his mother about making a memory box from the kids to the family was when we both lost it. He has a younger brother and sister so goodness it was just a sad day and not the way I wanted this week to start.

I know we have a great comforter, but a loss doesn’t mean you just get over it nor is there a timetable on how to get over a loss. The tributes we see each year of family and friends speak volumes as loss is still present. We just feel it more deeply some days more than others. I do pray as I am reading about other schools mourning the loss of a student

Prayers for all dealing with loss today. May your heart find healing while your memories never fade.

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of stars and calls them each by name” (Psalm 147:3-4).

I was listening to music this morning and CeCe Winan’s song “Never Lost” played. Her voice is just mesmerizing. She says, “let’s worship” and she belts those notes “you can do all things but fail” and “I know you never will.” This is such a wonderful version. She speaks truth into this song. “The victory is already mine!” AMEN

Blessing to each of you this as we enter this new year,

dreamsdontfade.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl8EzT0vAcs