A Time to Mourn, and a Time to Dance

In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, it says,

(1)  To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

(2)  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

(3)  A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

(4)  A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

(5)  A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

(6)  A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

(7)  A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

(8)  A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

For everything that we feel, there is an opposite on the pendulum.  This is our life here on earth.

The past 18 days have been both mourning and dancing.   On the 8th, I stayed on the phone with my brother who is in South Dakota, 1,600 miles from me, while the nurses and physicians assistant administered comfort medications, before taking my mother off the breathing machine.  I was trying to stay with him until my mom passed, but my little grandson came dancing and bee-bopping through the room, not understanding the gravity of the time--through no fault of his own--and I needed to go because he needed something, to be heard, so I needed to tend to the little one.  Were there others here who could take care of him, Yes!  Did I still take care of him, Yes!  I still messaged my brother through it all.  Just moments later, my mother passed on to Jesus.  I wished I could have stayed on the phone with him. 

Being 1,600 miles away from my family for 39 years has really taken a toll on my emotions.  For this time in my life, my heart shattered in to a million pieces not just because I couldn't be there, but because I couldn't help my sister clean out my mother's apartment.  To be able to go through her things with my sister, laugh over some things, cry over others, and just work together and talk about how to honor our mother would have helped me in so many ways.  But, unfortunately, life gets in the way and through no fault of anyone, we were unable to go. 

The week after my mother's passing,  I'd been preparing for our grandson's birthday party, so my time of mourning had been stuffed way down deep for a time.  Sunday I rested, took many naps, took care of myself, and decided I was going to allow myself 3 days to mourn this week, going in to "hermit mode"--hiding in my room, letting all the emotions come, and just thinking about my Mom.  I cried, wrote in my journal, then was needed to help my husband with our sweet baby grandson.  My hubby's left arm isn't quite strong for long term types of things yet, so when he comes with a sweet little baby, I take him without hesitation and dance with him!   So my time of mourning has been a pendulum between mourning and dancing within moments.  I wonder if this is what the Lord meant in the verses above?  I love the Lord's timing, because I truly needed it this season. He certainly has helped me by having these babies here in our house during this time of grief.   

Unfortunately, we are unable to go to South Dakota until a later date for a variety of things to come together.  We look forward to seeing family, hugging them, and spending time with them while we finish with our Mother's last wishes. 

This morning, after only a few hours of sleep, I decided to take a bath with Epsom Salts and 10 drops of Valor essential oil blend.  I love this blend!  It has a woodsy maculine scent with the strength of  Canadian black spruce.  It has a blue color to it which comes from Blue Tansy.  Go ahead and click the links to read about these wonderful oils!  I added Valor to my bath because I felt like I needed strength.  Of course my strength comes from the Lord, but the Lord has given us these wonderful plant juices to lean on, as it says in Eze 47:12,

"And by the river, upon its bank, on the one side and on the other, shall grow all trees for food, whose leaf shall not fade, nor their fruit fail: it shall bring forth new fruit every month, for its waters issue out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for food, and the leaf thereof for medicine."

If the Lord has given us wisdom to use the leaves for medicine, why not lean on His provision for us to help in every way we need?  

Are oils for grief?  

Yes!  Absolutely! 

I have a blend that I made when my Dad passed away in 2019 that I'm getting ready to put together again.  Some of the oils I don't have on hand, but I do have alternates that I can use.  That's the way these oils work.  If there is one that doesn't work for you, there just might be one that helps you even more than the first one.  The solution is to keep trying!  

I appreciated the blend I was able to put together so much that when I came across friends who were grieving, I shared it with them, too.  What a blessing to me to see that out of my own grief, I was able to help someone else who was in grief, too.  I don't take that blessing lightly.  If you're grieving and need me to make you a grief blend, please send me a message on Instagram or Facebook.  I would be happy to make you a grief blend.  

I hope you are blessed by the love of the Lord today and every day!

Love and God Bless,

Regina Graham