One week from today a little piece of my heart is moving to Colorado...

Life is full of many surprises and recently we received another surprise! My daughter and son in law announced that they are moving their family to Colorado. Oh my heart…

The news brought shock, many tears, and even anger. I had to process all these emotions while doing my best to be supportive and excited for them. After all, that’s what Gigi's do, right? I had envisioned my life to be full of them on a daily basis; playing with my granddaughter, sharing meals, running past their house everyday, and enjoying the last two years of my youngest daughter's high school activities, together. What would my days be like now?

I know I’m not the first parent who has had to watch their children and grandchildren move away. My own mother had to watch her children and grandchildren move out of state and I really had no idea how hard this must have been on her; now I do. Having a grandchild changes you in ways I will never be able to explain. I think all the grandparents out there would especially agree that having a grandchild move away can really pull on your heart strings.

So with a heavy heart I knew that I needed to pray and offer this up to the Lord. Honestly, I wanted to pray for their house not to sell or for them to change their minds, but I knew that my simple prayer had to be, "Lord, help me to find peace in this situation and change my heart where it needs to be changed. Bless Kristin & Sam as they embark on this new adventure, and whatever happens... let it bring glory to you."

I continued to struggle and pray. It wasn’t long before I heard in my heart, “be more open.” I knew exactly what this meant and I knew that the Lord was reminding me of my own mantra that I have been working so hard on this past year, “be more open and be present.” Ugh...really? That's the answer to my prayer? I didn't want to be open about my precious family moving away.

In obedience I began asking myself, over and over again, how I could “be more open” about this? Along with the tears, the answers came… I soon realized that the close proximity that I have had with them has been a true blessing full of memories that I should cherish and be nothing but grateful for. I realized that this is an opportunity for their family and our family to make more memories here in Texas and in Colorado. I realized that they are following their dreams and embarking on a new adventure and I get to have a part in it by cheering them on and praying for them. I realized that the time we will now spend together will be more meaningful. I realized that the anticipation of seeing them again will be full of joy and surprise. I realized that when they visit us, I get to go to sleep and wake up with them in my home, cook for them, and plan wonderful things to do. I realized that I get to take several trips to Colorado every year and explore and experience new things. Finally, I realized that the little piece of my heart that is moving to Colorado belongs to Him and I am here to simply pray for and love on them, wherever He leads them.

It has all happened so fast. The real estate market in Texas has been good and we knew that their house would sell quickly, and it did. Everything is lined up, things have seamlessly fallen into place, and in one week I will kiss them goodbye and watch them pull away in a moving truck. Yes, I will miss seeing them daily, borrowing coffee beans, showing up whenever I wanted to, but I can guarantee you that when I do get to see them, I will be present, more open, and appreciative of the time we do have.

You never know what twists and turns that life will bring, but if we allow ourselves to "be more open," it can be quite an adventure.

Oh my heart...

Love, Gigi

I have learned so much through the grief that I have experienced from losing my step-father, my grandparents, and now my brother, in less than two years. I have felt and sometimes still feel the tormenting pain of loss, yet there has been healing and restoration in ways I never thought possible. I’ve realized that we learn through our suffering if we allow our hearts to listen. Without the experience of grief, I would continue to be unaware of my friends pain and suffering.

We all feel sad when a friend loses someone they love and our intentions are to be there for them, but I now know that I will strive to "do more" when a friend is suffering.

May I always remember...

1. It is no longer appropriate to "just" reply to a Facebook message, or send a simple text how sorry I am.

Our culture has created an easy way out of consoling the people we love. I believe we are designed to “be there” for our grieving friends and to make sure that our bereaving friend knows, all the time, that we are there for them and our heart is with them. Our bereaving friend may not take phone calls or accept visitors in the first stages of grief, if so, make whatever contact they will accept (text, social media) often. Then, proceed to #2.

2. I will not say: “Let me know if you need anything”

They are GRIEVING! They don’t know what they need and, if they are like me, they wouldn’t “ask” for help when they're not grieving. Do something! Churches are good at this. They arrange meals, leave something special at your doorstep, help with the kids, etc. Don’t wait for them to ask. Grief can feel empty, lost, loveless and dark. Taking action will show you care, no matter how big or small, and it really does bring a little light to their world.

3. I will not leave you alone to process your grief- for too long!

We all know that grieving takes time and there is a time for physically being alone to weep & process, but leaving one alone for too long may translate as: “I don’t really care that much, or” I’m too busy to check on you.” They need you, believe me. Let us remember that grieving can come in waves and may take months or even years to feel somewhat normal again. Love on your friend continually for how ever long it takes.

4. Don’t say anything to try to fix me or make things better. “It’s going to be ok”, “I know how you feel” “God knows what He’s doing” "They are in a better place"

“It doesn’t feel ok” and “where is GOD?” are pretty common emotional rationales when first dealing with grief. You can’t “fix” them, they must embrace the process and everyone’s process is different. Just say, “I’m here and I love you" and say it often.

"It is not how much we give, but how much LOVE we put into giving" ~Mother Teresa

Here's to growing together.

Blessings, Gigi