The Listening Project
In the spring of 2022, my world was shattered when my husband of 32 years died unexpectedly of cancer. My life tilted out of balance. As I tried to recover my footing, I clung to God.
The messages on this page are lifted from times of listening to God (I haven’t stopped). They have helped me to heal in my grief journey. If you’re going through grief or other hardship, I hope these posts comfort you as you consider God’s kindness and love.
In-Between Day Offers Hope
Note: this post is a little different from the usual Listening Project posts because it’s from my perspective. But I think God directed these words and maybe they will give you hope in your grief. For Christians, today is often overlooked–the day after Jesus’...
Beyond The Storm
The storm has passed, although its lashing winds and roaring thunder buffeted you more than you thought you could bear. But now… Yellow flashing light shreds the clouds, and golden lines spread across the sky. An explosion of light. I am like that light, breaking...
Take Flight, My Love
The eagle gathers herself for only a moment. Then she spreads her wings. Can you hear the powerful whoosh, the strength of those wings as she launches herself into the wide-open atmosphere? The hardest part is the liftoff, when she needs strong muscles to leave the...
Fragrance of Grace
See how the incense arises like liquid smoke, curling in waves of sweet aroma? My Israelite children understood how incense symbolized their prayers. So, also, your prayers flow as perfume to me. Now breathe in the sweet and cleansing scents of my presence. Inhale my...
The Rose That Grief Built
A rose bud opens in the storm and a new kind of beauty emerges. Battered but resilient. You didn’t think you’d grow from grief. Such fierce loss demands a great deal: so many details, so many responsibilities. Bank accounts. Relationships. Decisions. And always the...
Once You Crawled
You crawled when the pain drilled into your heart. Rocks bit into your knees and tore through your skin. But you stretched out a hand, feeling the grit of the path scrape your palms. You reached out anyway. Then a day came when you planted your feet and stood. When I...
A Song Rises
Outside your window, birds sing, anticipating spring. Their life is simple yet dangerous. But how they sing – about the simple things. They celebrate the dawn, the cool air of the morning, the discovered meal. Let their song rise within you, its lightness flowing to...
Get Ready
Rise, my child. Your cocoon of sorrow, of responsibilities, of loss has protected you. The time is coming, though, when you must break out. Study my beautiful butterflies, rich with vivid blues and oranges and blacks. Do you recognize their energy, their zeal? See how...
New Life Coming
The branches outside your window appear dead, don’t they? Dry wood. No leaves. No growth. It is winter but you know that buds will sprout soon. They always do. Life will come. These dead-looking trees know resurrection. New life. You lost your life with your husband,...
Photographs by Kathy Brasby. More can be seen at this site.
