Then it dawned on me.
This is all I really need... in fact this is all that we need.
During bereavement people always try to be what they are not. They try to act
in a way that they think will make us feel better. The truth is nothing will
make us feel better... We lost our son... It is terribly painful and it
probably will be that way for a very long time (maybe even forever). 
So if you want to be
helpful, share yourself with us. Be who God had gifted you to be! You are a gift
to us, don't break the gift and change it into something it was not meant to
be. Please let me decide if I need it or not. After all that is the nature of
giving gifts: Someone gives a gift and the other person decides whether to keep
it of throw it out.
By far the most
meaningful contribution or engagement we have had during this difficult time
has been the genuineness of family and friends. I am reminded that when Peter and
John met with brokenness at the Temple Gate they simply offered what they had, and what they had, brought healing to brokenness.
Acts 3
6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have,
but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up
and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and
immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength."
So here is the challenge… Try and be truly
you today. The world is full of brokenness and that brokenness needs authentic
people being the gifts that God made us to be…
