Sending your thoughts

photo by Greg Lincoln

by Greg Lincoln

This past week has been memorable. Firstly, thank you for your nomination for the Calista Shareholders Business of the Year award. We had prepared a short statement to be read at the meeting, and here it is: To the Calista Board of Directors, our friends and family, quyana for this nomination. We are very grateful and honored. We would not have been able to do our work without the help of countless others and our thanks and gratitude goes out to them as well. Thank you for your support and for the nomination, we are inspired and humbled by this recognition. Quyana!
Secondly, I hope you had a nice 4th of July holiday. We are happy to say that we did. This year I was able to run in the race in Seward again and I thank the Lord for giving me good health and the strength to take part in this opportunity. It was very hard, but we made it. And congratulations to our daughter Allie, for her successful race. We are so proud, happy, elated, the euphoria unforgettable. It was a good day, thank you Lord!
Right now seems like a good time to talk about cards. We wanted to share our feelings of how receiving cards affected us during our first hours, days, and weeks when our world was shattered and our whole life here on earth was shaken, destroyed beyond repair. We remember the email message, the texts, and the phone calls, and also the visits when we became bereaved. When we, ever so reluctantly, crossed a line that you cannot cross back over.
When your friend has lost a loved one, it is very supportive and beneficial to let them know that you are thinking of them. Visiting them and being with them is the best thing to do but we all know that that sometimes can’t be possible. Time, distance, life, anything – can keep you from visiting them in person until, of course, you are able to.
If that is the case as it sometimes is, sending a card of condolences or a letter sharing your sympathy will be immensely cherished. Those cards and letters will be kept forever, saved and loved and never forgotten.
Your letter does not have to be long. The fact that you took the time to send one will speak volumes and it will mean so much to the recipient. It is like a gift and the words in your letter or card will resonate over and over with your bereaved friend.
For us, we love the flowers and nature scenes on the cards that you have sent. We love the scriptures that we find so much comfort in reading, it goes straight to the heart where it is needed the most.
Handwritten is best. Your bereaved friend will see your handwriting that is completely unique to you and they will feel a sense of closeness to you even though you may be thousands of miles away.
Some of the cards that we received were sent by strangers. It warms our hearts to know that some folks, even though we did not know them, were thinking of us. What makes a stranger care so much? It is a special form of kindheartedness.
When we read those cards, we can hear your voice, like you are right here with us. Those treasured cards will always be reminders of your love, thank you so much.
Even though time has passed, you can always send a card or letter. Grief from losing a loved one never goes away, it is always there hidden, unseen under the fragile shell of our resolve to keep on going forward. Quyana for your continued and craved-for prayers for us and those who are suffering from loss, thank you.