Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Walk. That is very telling as a move through my grief. The pain is unbearable at times. I want to sprint through it, run as fast as I can to get to the other side of grief, where I can breathe again. But the Lord says, no. I must not. I must ‘walk’ thru this valley of the shadow of death. There is a purpose for my soul as I walk, step by step, thru this valley of grief. Walking insures I won’t lose my footing, I won’t stumble and fall, I won’t grow weary and lose strength before making it thru to the other side. I want to run, but I must walk, step by step by step. And Lord, as your word says, you are with me, every step of the way.
grieving with hope 
That is beautiful Alisa. I went through cancer seven years ago and my pastor preached that same sermon about walking. Though we want to run to get to the other side, hoping there is the other side, we have to walk it.
Your wisdom is astonishing. Thank God for His word. Without it we would go insane but His word IS a lamp to our feet and a light to our path and He WILL lead you beside still waters again.
Jennifer, I can only imagine the kind of suffereing cancer brings. But it seems to have borne in you a compassion for others, a love for your Savior, and a trust in His plan, that is rarely seen. It is so special, and the love and support I have felt from you thru this, has been such a means of grace to me. It truly has. I wish there were a way to express my gratefulness adequetly, but there really isn’t. So I will again, just say thank you ❤ hugs
Hi Alisa,
I go to Grace Bible Church with Barb Pagel, and she shared your blog with me. I’ve been praying for you and your family ever since Barb first sent me a text with the news of your son.
My brother Pat was killed in a dirt bike accident when he was 21 and I was 16 years old. I will never forget the night he died, laying in bed and listening to my mom weep in the other room. I will never forget my dad coming in to hold me and comfort me after my mom had fallen asleep. I will never forget how surreal those first few days and weeks were, nor will I forget the weight of the pain that seemed to push on my chest in the months that followed.
May 20th, 2013 marked the 12th anniversary of Pat’s homecoming. I will never forget my brother, and his presence is stilled missed at every family milestone. But as I sit here years from the event that forever changed my life (I absolutely related to your post about your life being split into two) I praise God for His faithfulness to my family. I praise God for His mercy that took me through each painful day. I praise God for His wisdom in appointing the exact number of days He did for Pat. And I praise God that one day I will be in Heaven with my brother, worshiping our Savior without sin or grief or pain.
I share all this with you only so you know that believers you may never meet here are weeping with you. I will continue to pray for you and your family because I know the road ahead of you is not easy or short. My heart breaks for you as I think of your grief.
Thank you for all that you have shared about your son and this tragedy. I read the tributes on another blog that Barb sent me, and I must say one thing: I cannot wait to meet your son someday. I look forward to you making the introductions in that happy place.
Praying for you,
Becky Sitton
Dearest Becky, What an encouragement and comfort you have been to my soul this morning. An attempt to try and explain it would be futile, so I hope you can sense my gratefulness. Thank you for writing! And Grant, too, has a little 16 year old sister. I will read to her this morning, what you have written, and have little doubt that it will give her hope, comfort, and courage to trust God thru this. Hugs ❤