Blessed are the meek

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:7)

Who are the meek?
Are they gentle ... subdued ... passive ... low class citizens?

Max Lucado calls them focused - power under control. He says, "Blessed are those who know what on earth they are on earth to do and set themselves about the business of doing it."

I briefly checked in on Facebook.com and listened to the video, "Come Awake" which is below.



As it finished, I came to "99 Balloons," a video dedicated to Eliot, a baby boy with Trisomy 18 who lived 99 days. I share it with you.



I am reminded of another child, Nicole, who had Trisomy 18. She lived 5 months before heading home to be with Jesus. Several years ago, her parents, Jim and Deanna Reynolds, who lived in LaGrange, Mo., at the time I knew them, wrote a book about her story. The link I had no longer works. This link takes you to Barnes & Noble Booksellers where you can purchase the book: "Our Victorious Heart."

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Amen.

How long will I grieve?

How long will I grieve?

Does it depend on something ... who it was, relationship, age?

How long will it last?

Everyone is different.

Every time is different.

Having gone through it before doesn't make the second and third and more times any easier. You have a better idea, perhaps, of what to expect. But maybe not.

My grandfather died when I was 10 years old. He was 81.

My mother died at age 86. My husband and I cared for her in her/our home for 10 months.

It took me three years to get past the immense sadness and pain of her being absent from my life. She has now been gone 14 years this coming September. It is sometimes hard to comprehend that it has been so long, yet again, it is like yesterday.

There are friends we've known all our lives ... those we look toward for guidance .... and there are countless precious pets.

I receive emails from Boone, Iowa author Jolene Philo who wrote "A Different Dream for My Child: Meditations for Parents of Critically or Chronically Ill Children." Click Different Dream. Some of her posts have dealt with grieving. Perhaps they can help you.

• Longevity of Grief

• Choosing Thomas

Is the grave our protection from future evils?

1 "The righteous perishes, and no man takes it to heart;

Merciful men are taken away, while no one considers

That the righteous is taken away from evil.

2 He shall enter into peace;

They shall rest in their beds,

Each one walking in his uprightness." (Isaiah 57:1-2)

The righteous, the merciful children of God perish/die. No one cares or wonders why. No one stops to think that perhaps these ones slipped out from the realms of evil now and in the future and into peace. No one wonders if being taken away from evil and entering into peace is the grave. Is the grave a resting ground, a place of peace, until the Lord Jesus Christ's return?

Could it be ... the grave is our protection from future evils?