“May the grace and peace from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, surround you. He is the Father of
Compassion, the God of all comfort. He consoles us as we endure the pain and
hardships of life so that we may draw from His comfort and share it with others
in their own struggles. (2 Corinthians 1: 2-4 The Voice)
With a short shopping list, I planned
to run into the grocery store quickly and finish my errands. After entering the
store, I felt like there was a party going on, but I had not received an
invitation.
By the front door, containers of
red, pink, and white blooms lined the floral section. A man selected a
cellophane wrapped bouquet. Tears tickled my eyes as I thought of his happiness
at giving the gift. No flowers would come from my husband.
The sudden bout of grief made me
hurry to the produce area. My eyes moved upward to the heart balloons waving to
customers. Hearts decorated the fruit and vegetables bins. In the bakery, heart
shaped cookies and cakes added to the festivities. Everyone seemed to enjoy the party atmosphere
except me.
My breath caught as I grabbed some
bananas and strawberries and hurried away. Surely I could stay to purchase two
more items.
As I reached for chia seeds on the
first aisle, I heard voices behind me. I turned to see a young couple laughing
and kissing. One more stab into my aching heart in the midst of a celebration I
couldn’t attend.
I
can do this. Though I wanted to leave my cart and run from the store, I
kept my eyes straight ahead and aimed for the dairy case. With four containers
of yogurt placed in my cart, my mission was accomplished.
A long line at the pharmacy blocked
my escape. After a lady moved aside, I found an open check out lane.
A smiling bagger helped me unload my
groceries onto the conveyor belt. Another sigh escaped. I was almost finished
and could retreat to my car and then home away from reminders of being alone on
another Valentine’s Day.
I avoided reading about Valentine
dinners, romantic get aways, and sparkling jewelry. I shunned stores with from racks
of cheerful Valentine cards. But I hadn’t thought of being ambushed by grief at
the grocery store.
Thankfully, at home I recovered
quickly. . For me, it would be the fourth Valentine’s without Alan. I thought
of many others who would also be alone. Some much longer then me.
To relieve my pain, I decided to focus
on them. With paper, pen, and foam hearts, I began making a variety of
valentines. I could also send messages, make phone calls, or visit. I
definitely wasn’t the only one with sadness on a day most people celebrated.
Loving Father, thank you for loving me.
In my loneliness, help me comfort others like you have comforted me. Amen
