By 
This week I attended a viewing for the teenage daughter of a nursing colleague who committed suicide. In the past three years, I have watched three mothers, and families, bury their child. Senseless. Unfair. Horrifying. Those are words that seem to describe these losses. As I watch this mother, receive the respects of the hundreds to thousands of visitors my heart sank deeper. How can this mother survive? How can this mother go on with life and raise her other children?
Jesus said to his disciples at the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.’
Matthew 5:4
Wherever you go today, you will see people “connected” through their cell phones. They may be talking, texting, messaging, watching videos/movies, listening to books, or searching the internet.
But with this continuous connection, the rate of depression and isolation in the United States is higher than ever before.
The young and the elderly are particularly affected. I pray for Satan to lose his grip on these young people. As I watched those in the line to pay respect to this teenager’s family, I prayed that those living can learn to be more loving, more compassionate, and better listeners. We are called to be the comforters to those who are mourning. It is time to reconnect, to listen, and to comfort others. This week may you find an opportunity to listen to somebody that needs a person to listen. Through listening, you may provide hope by connecting with this person.
