Posted on 04/12/2016 12:07:42 AM PDT by Marie
Today, we found out that we've lost our 22 year old son.
He'd been missing for a couple of days and they found the body this evening. He wrecked his motorcycle and ended up in a ditch where nobody could see.
I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to accept this. I don't know what to do with this.
And I can't pray.
I'm not mad at G-d or anything like that. I mean that I have no words. I don't know how.
Can you please pray for me? Just add me to your prayer list for a little while?
I cannot grasp that this loving young man is gone from my life forever. I don't know how to be all right with that.
I know that I need to sleep, but that seems like such a strange thing to do. I don't know how to function. What's normal when he's not on this planet?
Dear Lord, I miss him so much already.
Your heart is still beating so you have to keep going. God will give you the strength.
Your words speak volumes about this young man, and remind us how we should be facing life and following Jesus’s commandment to love one another.
Praying for you and your family.
I understand your loss, as well as your feelings with the loss of your son .
You are in my continued prayers of thanksgiving While on this earth , Griffin was truly an Apostle of appreciating life , even moreso , an example of "Christ like" behavior.
His life proves that "God is Love", and he taught love to others by his example, even to the stranger
He clothed the naked , uplifted the down-trodden , raised the spirits of the depressed, detoxed the ill , etc.,etc..
His life was an example for us all, especially those who profess to be Christian believers .
You have been Blessed , and I understand your feeling of loss , but I also believe that you be reunited ,
and he will be there with his Heavenly Father to greet you .
Yes ,embrace your son's life as he was a teacher - and he taught you much , and you learned from him .
And he would not want you to be depressed by his passing from this life as he was with you for a season , and for a reason.
Celebrate his life as he did , with confidence and assured behavior
He would want it that way - and you don't need any other reason !
You have done a wonderful job of helping us know your son and his life of extraordinary giving and caring. Thank you.
Sounds like a wonderful young man. You truly can take comfort knowing that he touched more people in his lifetime than many people who live to a much older age ever do. I believe that the feelings of grief will take more time to pass than just the next few weeks or months. They may lessen during that time but then something may stir them up again. But over time I know you will feel much more joy in your memory of Griffin’s life than you will feel sadness over his passing. There will be a difficult adjustment and transition period after which you will be able to find peace with this changed reality. You can have faith that your emotional condition will get better over time.
It’s very natural for parents to feel a unique sadness over the loss of a child because of those strong protective instincts. But nature certainly does not intend to leave you suffering forever. There will be other people in your life who will appreciate you being there for them the same way you were for Griffin.
The outgoing personality that helped him touch so many people may have been inseparable from him being a fearless risk-taker. These personality types exist in people for a reason. They contribute something valuable to the lives of other people. A fearless risk-taker can achieve more in a shorter amount of time even though they may not live as long. If there is any solace to be had in the way he died, perhaps it’s that he may have been spared future suffering that his disease would’ve eventually caused.
I am praying for your comfort during this terrible time, dear Marie.
Prayers sent and I wish I could give you a hug. Godspeed. Take it easy. Maybe get a book on loss or talk to someone.
The God of all Comfort will console you when you are beyond words, beyond knowing. My heart aches for your loss, which is beyond understanding. I pray that you will have the support that you need from family and friends to get through this sorrow, and that the Peace of God will lift you up.
Please bookmark your post for you to read over and over in these difficult months, and well beyond. That's because while the words were from your broken and grieving heart, they really weren't from you.
What I mean is, through your tears you were given a clear insight to see your son's purpose and mission in life.
*They’re all saying, “I’m going to be more like Griffin.”*
He lived more, and gave more, in 22 years than most people do in a lifetime.
Ex 20.12. Honor your father and your mother; that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God gives you:
There's a regular average lifetime, but it's only for a moment really. And then there's Griffin's lifetime. He honored you and blessed everyone around him, and will continue to do so. That means his lifetime is so long upon the land that it can't be measured in human terms.
That's quite a testament to you and your beloved son.
God is right with you to comfort and guide you through these dark days ahead.
ping
I’m so very sorry for your loss. I will pray for you.
I know how hard it is to pray sometimes, I’ll pray for you and yours.
What a wonderful young man.
Several prayers sent.
It took a few tries to formulate the words, but I think God still heard all of them.
I’m so very sorry for your loss.
Your Griffin sounds very much like our Chris. He was a child who lived loudly, joyfully, and fully. He did more in his brief life than many do in a much longer one. The only reason he didn't do more was that there weren't enough hours in the day. We even put on his marker "Our Joy Boy". The very first person to visit me told me a story of Chris that was so touching an example of generosity, kindness and selflessness that it still makes me cry. I decided to get a book and write down these stories and others that I remember. I don't want there to be any chance that I forget them.
Perhaps God looks down on these fine young people and decides they don't really need to go through the full measure of pain we all suffer in life. Perhaps He sees how well they show His love and welcomes them home sooner than we would like.
We had a little "Chris kiss" at dinner tonight. We were seated next to a photograph of a field of sunflowers. Watch for your Griffin kiss. It will show up.
Last night a friend sat up with me until 4:30AM just listening as I told her story after story. The awe inspiring to the stupid to the hilarious and the ridiculous.
He was such a clown. And so intense. So determined to break through human barriers and to save the world one person at a time.
He’d randomly find himself moved to go to the store and buy a box of food for homeless people. He dragged drunk people home from the bar and make sure they were safe for the night. He helped a man detox of opiates. Spent two weeks nursing him through it. He had a habit of seeking out the grumpiest, most depressed, angriest person in the room, then talking to them until they laughed.
I was rolling my eyes with exasperation when he came home with yet another tattoo. He lit a cigarette, looked me in the eye and said, “I can’t reach the people who need to be reached in a suit, mom. Gotta speak their language.”
Those are the stories that remind me every day that he was worth every minute.
The community has come together for his wake. The Patriot Guard have volunteered to ride for him. We’re getting so much help. We’re roughly planning for 100. If we have too much food, we already have volunteers to take the excess to the veteran’s homeless camp on the side of town. If we don’t have enough, we’ll send people on a food run to walmart. People are coming from half way across the nation to honor him. People who I’ve never met.
This morning, I woke up to 24 new messages from people who I’ve never known. They all just wanted to share their stories.
This morning, I woke up to 24 new messages from people who I’ve never known. They all just wanted to share their stories.
Please, print these out in hard copy somewhere. Then, in the future, as memories need refreshing, as it will from time to time, reread these precious stories from others touched by Griffin's life.
I wish I had known him. As I read what you've shared with me, I am humbled. He has touched and made a difference in so many people's lives. Indeed, Griffin lives on in how he affected them.
God bless you. I am praying for you.
Our deepest sympathy for you and your family. My heart goes out to you. Prayers.
Dear Marie...
He will be back in your life... although painful... this separation is only temporary... count on it... trust it... believe it... God is righteous and His promises are steadfast...
Stay in the day, pray, cry, laugh... and yes... thank God for His blessings and mercy.... worship Him, praise Him.... for giving you hope in seeing your son again.
Know you are loved beyond all comprehension... and... that you do not walk this walk alone....
Although the pain comes in the evening... JOY comes in the morning...
Prayers....
Prayers Sent, God Bless, Remember our Goal is not of this World but that of the next and in so your Son will be in a far better place and awaiting your arrival, which is what I pray for. May God Strengthen you during this time and as you continue to fulfill His Will while your still here in this World.
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