In one of many of my favorite Emmylou Harris songs are these lines penned after the loss of one of her closest friends, Gram Parsons: "I will rock my soul in the Bosom of Abraham; I will hold my life in his saving grace." To me, this chorus from "Boulder to Birmingham" refers to the anchoring love, peace, and presence of Jesus Christ. Sometimes, I feel this calming and comforting in the words and touch of those who love me. In those who shared condolences in the passing of my parents: friends from high school decades earlier, cousins only seen at family reunions, neighbors from years ago, fellow believers from different congregations, the closest of close friends. Their expressed love and shared empathy conveyed concern and caring, which certainly seem like the balm of Heaven. Soothing, comforting, healing. There's another line in Emmylou's song, unexpected yet poignant and painful: "The hardest part is knowing I'll survive." It's not just the immediate agony of loss that slams us especially hard in unexpected passings; it's knowing that this is only the beginning of our grief. In the normal course of things, if there is such a thing, we may well live many years, perhaps even decades in the shadow of our loss. But even in this, there is a promise of peace and presence that goes beyond the expressions of concern by others. It is conveyed in the "groanings too deep for words" (Romans 8:26) in the intercessions of the Spirit. There are times when agonies burrow so deeply into our hearts and spirits that we cannot express them. But the Spirit of God can. And does. And… he has help. In the same chapter, the ancient maker of tents informs us that Jesus himself stands at the Father's right hand. And guess what he's doing? Interceding for us. That's right; we have two tireless, divine Intercessors who are conveying and persuading on our behalf at the very Throne of Heaven. Even when our friends and family and neighbors and sojourners have re-entered the business of their lives. Even when it seems that even those who love us most have moved on, we are neither abandoned nor forgotten. Even in a dark and empty room, I still sense that loving peace, that saving grace that tells me, "Yes, you will survive. And you will thrive because I am always with you. Even in this. Even when you don't sense my presence, I am still with you." I will rock my soul in the Bosom of Abraham. I will hold my life in his saving grace. I will yet see his face. And the faces of every person I have loved and lost. So yes, I will hold to that. H. Arnett 6/23/2023
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