By Juli McGowan Boit | Published: May 2, 2014
“Joy and pain, they are but two arteries of the one heart that pumps through all those who don’t numb themselves to really living.” –Ann Voskamp
There is a strange mixture of joy and pain that fills this space we call Living Room. Even now, the familiar but ever haunting sound of hymn-singing mixed with weeping can be heard outside Kimbilio’s Funeral Home. Family and friends have gathered to grieve and say good-bye while our Living Room team provides practical and compassionate service and care. Truth be told, I am tired of death. The feeling of permanence and the anguish of loss never fully leaves. With ever growing intensity, I am waiting for all things to be made new. I am longing for the tears to be wiped away, for grief to be no more, for death to die.
Just a few hundred feet away vibrant colors of bougainvillea flourish in the garden area outside of Kimbilio Hospice. Small children, who have come back to life, laugh as they play. Their giggling sounds like a taste of what is to come, when all will be as it should be. I am so moved by the light that has replaced the fear that once filled their eyes. These gifts are not taken for granted. Our team has been privileged to love and to witness the fruit of our labor giving way to miracles—toddling, busy toddlers have another chance to discover the world.
There is joy. And there is pain. We must find the courage to live in both, because God is in both.
We rejoice. We weep. We wait for all to be made new.
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