Today marks one year since my grandfather (Papa) passed away. At times, it still seems unreal since I was halfway around the world when it happened. Other times, it seems just about as real as it ever could. Losing a grandparent is hard, and I think not being there with and for my family was even harder. But Papa’s story is a beautiful one that shows the magnitude of God’s goodness. You can read about that here.
Over this past year, my grandma has shown great courage, my family has found strength to let our celebration be greater than our sadness, and God has continued to show up in the middle of it all. As I’ve been growing in my faith, I’ve learned to hear more clearly from God, and one way He speaks to me is through pictures. It’s such a beautiful gift because He teaches me so many wonderful things through it. A recent one came in perfect timing, but I think it’s a message for a lot of other people too.
I saw a beautiful, flowering tree… like a Japanese Cherry Blossom or something similar. Often times, we focus so much on the beauty of the full tree that we forget how great each flower is—simply as a flower. When a flower falls off the tree and isn’t technically alive anymore, it seems like a loss of a flower. It belonged there, right? That’s where it was made to be, isn’t it? But sometimes, someone picks that flower up off the ground and sees it as a treasure. Maybe it’s a little boy who races home to give it to his mom. Maybe a smile lights up a girl’s face as she reaches down and puts it behind her ear. Or perhaps a grown woman places it in water to float amongst some candles and bring needed peace into her home.
In each situation, someone found great joy in this flower; it filled a purpose and was exactly what someone needed in that moment… it was a gift that fell for a reason. And I saw that fallen flower as Papa. On the tree, he was a great blessing; now, he is able to be a blessing in ways he couldn’t be while still on the tree. I see it in the way a person’s impact often reaches us more once they’re gone. I see it in the way we’ve all been inspired to live with more passion and love like he did. I see it in the way others might come to faith because of his story. It’s in the way he’s finally wrapped in The Father’s loving arms. It’s in his legacy. And it’s happening in more ways than we can even see. Sometimes we get so set on what we think a blessing is supposed to look like that we miss the blessings that follow a change.
I find great comfort and beautiful hope in this image. But I know that Papa isn’t the only fallen flower. At one time or another, everyone goes through this. So to all of you for whom this is hitting home… I hope this brings you hope too. It’s okay and it’s good to miss what someone was, but don’t forget to see and hold onto the beauty of what they still are.
