Odyssey of Hope
by
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Losses always provoke growth, just as the loss of summer eventually provokes the root or bulb to shoot forth in April. The early loss of my father; the losses of Jim, my beloved only sibling and of my precious mother to Alzheimer's Disease and first marriage at the same time; the loss of my witty and amazingly loving second husband, Keith, turned me, at times, inward. A year after Keith's death, my first-born son's suicide all but struck me dumb. Yet not always waiting for April, God prompted me to turn outward, for that is where healing ultimately occurs. As I wrote, spoke out, led loss groups, or reached out in more personal ways, I learned we are all on odysseys of hope. The best we can do is pray for Holy Encounters, whether it is with Chris at the pool who still suffers great pain from severe burns sustained many years ago, the frightened seven-year old in the orthopedist's waiting room, or the plumber who reveals his despair from the loss of his two-year old son to a car accident in front of his house ten years ago.
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About the Book
In Holy Encounters, we listen to the other person's pain--listen, just listen--and let God's holy word breathe through us to speak words of comfort and healing to a fellow sufferer. Such holy moments prove that to be alive is to be blessed. Sooner or later suffering comes to us all. We may ask, "Why?" But then we need to ask also, "Why is there beauty?" "Why is there redemption?" "Why does the daffodil bloom every April?" As the folk song says, the answer is blowin' in the wind, in the breath of God. It's spelled H-O-P-E.
About the Author
A retired reading and learning specialist, Mary Elizabeth Burgess has authored a study skills manual, a children’s book, Victoria, and Once Upon a Time...Two, Poems and Tales of her two sons, Scott and Tom. Also numerous articles have been published in The Lutheran and educational journals. She won poetry prizes in 2009 and 2011 for “Grocer’s Picnic, 1959" and “Grand Canyon Sunrise.” Her short story, “The Flowerbed,” won the WITF contest in January, 2013.