There are two kinds of lost loved ones, there are those who have gone home to be with the Lord, and then there are those who are just lost spiritually. I have a lot of loved ones that have died and gone on to be with the Lord. My mother Beatrice, whom I loved more than anything in this world, my son Robert, my sweet baby who died at only twenty-two hours old, and my Grandma Elizabeth, who died of cancer.

But what is even more devastating than losing a loved one to illness or disease, is to lose them to murder or suicide. I have dealt with both issues.

My very best friend in the world when I was growing up was murdered just three months after giving birth to her second child. Her name was Toni and she was only nineteen. When she was killed, it was like I had lost a sister. I was devastated.

Then there was my father in-law. In October of 2004, my mother in-law had a stroke and died three months later on my anniversary. After Momma passed away, Dad went downhill. We tried everything we could think of to hold on to him. Dad was legally blind and was also in the last stage of emphysema, which we didn’t know until he took his own life in 2007. I knew something was really wrong with Dad’s health when he developed a cough that didn’t go away. So between that and missing Momma so badly, he just couldn’t go on any more. He ended his pain and his heartache. He just couldn’t stand to be without the love of his life any longer.

As for the spiritually lost, I myself was lost spiritually for a very long time. My faith was shaken by the loss of my son, my dear friend, and my mother. But then God reminded me that he was with me. You see my husband and I tried to have a baby for about two years before we were told that it wasn’t going to happen for us, and I was devastated. Then two weeks after we buried my mother, we found out that I was pregnant with Bella, and she is now a beautiful, very smart, soon-to-be fifteen-year-old. 

There are many things that can shake your faith. I know of a few people personally that could use a little inspiration. They have health problems, financial problems and relationship problems just to name a few. People also tend to lose faith when they are constantly taken advantage of, abused, feel unwanted and unloved. It’s hard to have faith at times when you can’t seem to find the light at the end of the tunnel.

There are places to turn when you need help dealing with the death of a loved one. The people that helped me through the death of my son is a group called Compassionate Friends. They can be contacted at www.compassionatefriends.org. They have chapters all over the United States. As for the spiritually lost, there is hope for you too. You can go to counseling whether it is with a counselor, a preacher, calling a hotline or a good friend.

One thing that I have learned is that no matter how bad you think you have it, there is always someone out there that is a lot worse off than you. Once I learned that for myself, I also learned that when you are a blessing to someone else you tend to realize the blessings in your own life. Live, Laugh, Love and be blessed.