Journal entry by Joanne Negstad — May 26, 2018
Everyday before I post, I read the comments people have made since my previous post. Others send me email messages as Paul L., from Olympia, WA., did today. It was a very deep reflective message about silence and absence. Included in his email was this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer which spoke to me.
In Letters and Papers From Prison, Bonhoeffer wrote
"Nothing can make up for the absence of someone whom we love, and it would be wrong to try to find a subsitute; we must simply hold out and see it through. That sounds very hard at first, but at the same time it is a great consolation, for the gap, as long as it remains unfilled, preserves the bonds between us. It is nonsense to say that God fills the gap; he does not fill it, but on the contrary, he keeps it empty and so helps us to keep alive our former communion with each other, even at the cost of pain."
This bears reflection and Paul's sending this to me is the kind of support that I am experiencing. Yes, I am blessed.
The yellow roses and the yellow potted plant...yellow Joanne's favorite color...look very nice on her grave. She would approve. Yes, the absence is profound!
Blessings,
Al
In Letters and Papers From Prison, Bonhoeffer wrote
"Nothing can make up for the absence of someone whom we love, and it would be wrong to try to find a subsitute; we must simply hold out and see it through. That sounds very hard at first, but at the same time it is a great consolation, for the gap, as long as it remains unfilled, preserves the bonds between us. It is nonsense to say that God fills the gap; he does not fill it, but on the contrary, he keeps it empty and so helps us to keep alive our former communion with each other, even at the cost of pain."
This bears reflection and Paul's sending this to me is the kind of support that I am experiencing. Yes, I am blessed.
The yellow roses and the yellow potted plant...yellow Joanne's favorite color...look very nice on her grave. She would approve. Yes, the absence is profound!
Blessings,
Al
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