The man who lives on the corner of my street is a new widower. His wife died two months ago. Most of us find it hard to know what to say to people who have lost a loved one. The secret is this: just say, “I’m sorry for your loss.” And then be there to LISTEN.
After sharing the scripture the other day about caring for widows and orphans (James 1:27), I thought to myself, what can I do today, right now?
I debated over whether a widowER is the same thing as a widow. (mincing words, anyone?) I decided that I needed to step outside my comfort zone. I stuttered, stumbled, and finally spit out the words to my husband that I thought we needed to go down the street and check in on our neighbor. I had only met him once; although we do wave when we drive by in the car.
I was wrestling with the outcome. What if he yells at us to leave him alone? What if he demands we get off his property? (I tend to be a worst-case-scenario kind of thinker.)
So we put the dog on the leash, as he is an ice-breaking prop if ever there was one.
We went down to our neighbor’s house, but he wasn’t home. Whew. A mix of relief and guilt. Sure, I didn’t have to talk to him– but it was a bit selfish of me that I felt I was off the hook.
My husband and I continued our stroll through the neighborhood, and almost immediately we saw a rainbow.
I thought of the scripture:
16 The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”–Genesis 9:16
We turned around and saw another bunch of neighbors walking down the road, and we stopped to chitchat with them.
My husband took a few pictures of the rainbow. I thought of God’s promises to us…and also that He sometimes uses us to bless others. We are looking forward to another opportunity to speak with our neighbor.
Tomorrow: More about Widows and Orphans
Related articles
- Honesty (newstrength.wordpress.com)
- The Everyday Girl Guide to: James and My Life (James 1:26-27) (everydaygirlguidetolife.wordpress.com)
SueAnn Porter 
The problem with not know what to say is no one says anything.
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Exactly Marie! I remember when my boyfriend died in high school, some people avoided me because they didn’t know what to say. I understand that for teenagers, but hopefully as adults, we figure out something to say. Even if it’s, “Here’s some potato salad!”
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Here’s some potato salad is a good one
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What a nice neighborhood. Beautiful rainbow.
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Thanks Rose.
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