The Gift of Comfort

‘Tis the season to stand in line with every other human on the planet, waiting to exchange the clothes that don’t fit, the cologne that triggers your allergies, and the house shoes that are obnoxiously fluffy.
It is not too late to exchange the idea of gifts as material things, instead giving a gift that keeps on giving.
The Gift of Comfort.
It is a gift you can only pass along after someone else gives it to you.
There are only limited sources; the God of all comfort and other folks who know what it feels like to hurt.
It also seems there are limited supplies. Perhaps that is because it is so costly to purchase.
Yes, it must be purchased.
Unfortunately, the cost is excessive. You have to be willing to tell the truth about your own pain and actually feel how badly it hurts.
My husband, David, received insight into this phenomenon when his beloved father left us recently to make his appearance into heaven.
As one dear friend wrapped his arms around David, he whispered that he used to attend funerals and feel awkward and detached. Until he lost his own father and then he got it.
With those words and that embrace, he passed along the gift of comfort to David.
So, what else is comforting? Here’s the list so far:
-friends who love us in our sorrow and will hold us while we cry,
-counsel from folks who have experience living through the hurt,
-stories that remind us of excellent, funny times,
-gentle insight about ways to make the limited number of days on this planet more brilliant,
-giving away as much of my heart as I can possibly spare because today could be my last, thus avoiding unnecessary regrets,
-knowing men who makes it a point to bless each and every one he loves before he dies,
-silence,
-the thought of future reunions,
-friends who promise to arrive before anyone else and clean your house if you die unexpectedly,
-people who show up at the house with paper plates, plastic cups, bags of ice, and toilet paper.
Death is not the only pain built into this earthly life, of course.
There is the pain of difficult relationships; having a marriage that is falling apart or a child who is bent on self-destruction.
Or the bitter disappointment of waking up after a car wreck or a surgery to discover that your body is not meeting your expectations.
Or the daily physical pain of a body that suffers with a long-term disease.
Or, worse yet, the pain of watching a loved one struggle with pain.
Finally, worst of all, is the true guilt we experience when we recognize that we have injured those we love, all the while justifying our own foolishness or self-centeredness.
May the New Year bring you the courage to face with integrity and dignity whatever pain is your portion in this life. And may God surround you with folks who can comfort you with the comfort they have received.
So, while it is excruciatingly expensive, the Gift of Comfort is the perfect gift. Or maybe we should say the perfect re-gift.

Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, makes her home in East Texas, a place that we claim is a little piece of heaven on earth. Comments are invited at CaeKrafve2@aol.com.