The Community of Calvary Lutheran Church
comes together in Shared Grief
at the loss of Bobby Chapman IV.
Shared Grief
A light has gone out of the world.
Darkness has not won.
But there is one less light
for our journey home.
Precious is each moment of life.
Even the mundane of a meeting becomes
a holy moment to remember.
There are no words to express our grief .
We only pray for increased faith,
and your presence Lord,
to walk us through our loss.
Help us cling to your promises,
for you are our only refuge.
Pat states- "I wrote Shared Grief because I did not know what to pray
after the tragic accident at Calvary. I was there that night.
But I did know that death had not won."
Pat Bell tells us a bit about her faith journey.......
When I think back on my faith journey
it is a lot of years travelled
with lots of baggage on my shoulders.
I am an introvert who in the past almost never
shared my inner self with anyone. It was a lonely journey.
Then in 1998, God led me to spiritual direction.
In meeting with a spiritual director who was so very caring
and kind I was able to look at all that baggage honestly
and stop being a prisoner to hurts of the past.
I became more aware of God's presence in my life
and knew that God really did love me warts and all.
It was so freeing after all those years.
As part of my spiritual discipline,
I began putting the Psalms in my own words
and eventually I began writing my own words in verse.
This became a way of working through things
and being open to the working of the spirit within me.
The words are Spirit written. I just put them on paper.
The real miracle though was that I actually
started sharing my writing with others.
Current spirit disciplines are listening to music
(mostly David Haas CD's)
as a means of letting go of distractions,
so I can spend time in prayer-
with room within to sense God,
His presence and leading.
I still meet with a spiritual director monthly.
Recently I have found coloring designs
or mandalas while listening to music
helpful and a great stress release.
I have recently retired and feel in transition still.
Not quite sure where the Spirit is guiding
me right now.
At church I am currently Director of Lay Ministry
and a women's bible study
meets in my home twice a month.
Joy in my day -
I find this a challenge to answer,
as I still have a reserved personalty,
but I experience inner joy in seeing what God is doing
in my two children's lives and my grandchildren.
Children and grandchildren are a great joy.
God has put a number of very special friends
in my life and time with them is joyful.
God loves me through the care
and friendship of these special people.
We give thanks for the way that the Lord
is leading Pat and her presence
in the community of Calvary, Baltimore.
And we pray this blessing upon them all..........
I
