Baby Steps into a New Norm...Happy Monday!

Although Your Gone
© Shannon Walker ~ Published on August 6, 2015

Although you're gone, I'm not alone,
And never shall I be,
For the precious memories of the bond we shared 
Will never depart from me. 

Our love surpassed the ups and downs 
And helped us along the way,
And that same love will give me strength 
To manage this loss each day.

On my mind and in my heart, 
Mom, you shall forever be,
For just as much as I am a part of you, 
You are a part of me!

Seven days equals the first week without my Mom. Our last weeks and days were precious gifts of time. Although the doctors said three to four months, God called her home in just four weeks. My first thought and words, "I'm not ready to live without my mom." and the wisdom from a friend, "No one is ever ready to live without their Mom." Do I think it would have been easier two or three months from now? No, yet I prayed for more time.

I always thought Mom would live to be in her eighties like my Gram and the other matriarchs of this family. Why did God call her home so soon? I don't  know BUT I know she touched so many lives through her positive attitude, courage, strength, and perseverance.  The words written and spoken during her last weeks on earth and in this week following her death are nothing less than inspirational and uplifting. 

In a short sixty-six years, Mom witnessed to so many it's possible to survive and thrive after loss. In honor of my mom, one step and day at a time...I hope to be half the woman she was and live each day leaning on God for the strength, grace, hope, and love necessary to face whatever is next.

A friend asked, "How are you?" 
My response..."Broken."

Thankfully God is near to me, loves me, and will use this brokenness to help others. Trusting Him.

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted 
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, 
for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, 
so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Psalm 34:18; 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV

Are you moving forward "step by step"?
What is one thing that helps you 
to keep in a forward moving step?