Side by Side/Joy and Grief

True love can transport one to ecstasy. It can invade every cell. I had never known such a phenomenon until I met Jim Kennedy. We both were so full of joy we flaunted it. He nicknamed himself “Jovial Jim” on page 139 of My Cowboy Knight, My Boaz. He stated, “OH MY I am so Smitten.” (page 106). We were both ultra-magnetized in this thing called love.

Jim’s love of flying also oozed out of his entire being. It was easy to see he thought about flying his plane constantly and we tried to get to the airport as often as we could. If it was too windy, we went anyway, just to dust his plane off, check it over, or just rub our hands over it. That little plane was a piece of Jim. He had flown jets in the air force and had ridden in a B-17, but this little 1950 V-tail Bonanza held a special attraction to him. I could have been jealous, but seeing and feeling his “flying joy” just made me love him more.

Jim was filled with joy for his new wife and for his atmospheric vehicle. Jim and I lived in the best marriage two people could have. How then can joy and grief co-exist? Because they are both part of life.

• “She opened the dresser drawer to get out some jewelry
• to pack for her upcoming trip to see
• her husband’s town and friends.
• She is risking all the curves and bends
• of the emotional ups and downs of grief
• like a craggy reef.
• As she reached in the back of the drawer
• she found her husband’s wallet and almost dropped to the floor.
• What memories gushed into her brain,
• what tears poured out like rain.
• Will this heart pain ever lighten
• the weight of loss’s pain, it can not be forgotten.
• Another day of being a conqueror,
• and not merely a survivor!
• Oh, sweet Jesus, thank you for lightening the load
• and helping me go down this road.
• I will move on and laugh again.
• I just want my Doc Jim and to see
• joy returning itself towards me.
• I will “plow to the end of the road” as Jim would say!
• And be thankful for what blessings I have today!
• For I do have hope
• and I will honor Jim and his ring.
• How blessed I am to have had a man like this
• Who taught me attitude is everything.” August 24, 2013 8:44 PM

Washington’s Mt. St. Helens (on the left), was the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic eruption in the history of the U.S. in 1980. Mt. Rainier next to it hasn’t erupted since the 1800’s. They both have beauty but also hold potential anguish that could happen at any time. This is what I thought flying by them in a 1965 Bonanza V-tail in June, 2013 as I took this picture.

Two close-by created eruptive cones, both beautiful, but with unknown endings. This is like life. We all want love to last forever. Only God’s love is eternal and we can have this love if we just believe in Him and ask Him to be our Lord and our first love.

Jim and I will be together. One of us has erupted into eternity. The other will some day soon. Then we both will have eternity with each other and our Lord God.