How old hobbies can ease your pain!
“But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31, NKJV)
From the time I was 10 years old I was fascinated with photography. My parents gave me an old Brownie camera that I treasured and experimented with. I then got an Instamatic camera and continued to take a lot of pictures. Upon going to the U.S. Naval Academy I acquired my first 35mm SLR camera. A few years after Pat and I were married I got a much better camera, telephoto lenses, filters and a tripod. I do not remember when, but a point came when I just did not get that camera out anymore so I gave all my equipment to my son.
As I would go out daily to the grave, God blessed me with the wonder of His creation, especially a mated pair of Red Shouldered Hawks. I would watch them fly and play tag in the sky and I nicknamed them Pat and Jim. Hawks mate for life and I reflected on how these two would fly in circles together and every once in a while fly by and gently touch wings together. It was a beautiful picture to me of the amazing love journey Pat and I had enjoyed here on earth. I only had my iPhone and I tried to take pictures of this dazzling display:
It just did not capture the beauty or detail, so God reminded me of my old hobby and I went out and bought myself proper photographic equipment to capture what I was seeing. Every day that I went to the cemetery, Pat and Jim were there to greet me and I had multiple opportunities to get wonderful pictures and new memories:
Taking the photos eased my pain and gave me purpose! It also jarred my creative side and helped me to remember my dear sweet bride in poetry:
Remembering My Dear Sweet Bride:
Vigilance at the grave
By Jim Robbins
I come to your graveside every day
To remember our life together and pray,
Under the old live oaks is a respite from the sun
To ponder and remember when we had just begun
There are sounds of birds and wind chimes in the trees
And occasionally there is the hint of a refreshing breeze,
But I stand there, with tear-stained face lifted to the sky
And I continue to ask that age-old question: Why?
I know you no longer are suffering and you are free from pain
That does really help but honestly I think I might go insane,
Losing you is the hardest thing I have ever gone through
And I feel left behind, almost not knowing what to do!
You are the great love of my life, eternity with you will be bliss
Our faith we shared in each other and our Lord seems somewhat amiss,
Until looking in the clouds I see your unmistakable eyes and smile
My heart is filled with joy to know we will be back together in a while.
You taught me not to fear as you went through so many trials,
Your love for me has driven my heart for miles and miles,
And is it no wonder that each day I visit the grave 2 hawks fly above
To remind me of our sweet life together, and our Father’s love.
I miss you very much, my dear sweet bride. Pat, you are my forever girl – I look forward to the day we are reunited for eternity. August 25, 2015
LESSON LEARNED: Listen to God and let Him point out things to help you through your grief journey. Remember old hobbies and do them afresh – the creativity will astound you and comfort you!
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:8-9, NKJV)
Widower's Walk 