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VALLEY CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

Disappointment and Joy

6/5/2015

6 Comments

 
Picture
It's a picture that will be etched in my mind for a long time.  Janice embraced Andrea as we connected for lunch; tears were welling up in Andrea's eyes...we had missed her graduation ceremony.  The feeling can only be described as a deep sense of sadness and disappointment.

The day began with the promise of joy and celebration; our youngest was graduating university!    She had worked hard for the past four years to earn her degree in nursing (Bachelor of Science, Nursing from the University of British Columbia, Okanagan) and we left from Oliver to share in the graduation ceremony and celebrate with her.  As we approached Peachland traffic came to a stand still and word came down the line of a fatal crash.  An hour into our wait, we knew we'd miss the ceremony.  Bob and Lia were ahead of in line; they too missed the ceremony, but were able to catch up with Bryenna on campus afterwards.

It's a moment in time, a wonderful moment that we can never re-capture.  My mind kept telling me, there is nothing you can do, it was just 'one of those things'.  I also realized in a heartbeat a life had ended unexpectedly; that today a family is in mourning--a truth that seemed only to add to the sense of sadness. I know what my theology teaches but in the moment each of has to wrestle through what it means to walk by faith in the face of disappointment.  In life, our joy often comes in spite of disappointment and sadness.  No wonder there is within us a longing for that day when God will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.  (Revelation 21:4)  No more disappointment! 

The good news is we were able to connect with Andrea over lunch to celebrate her accomplishment.  In the end, I held her close and reminded her of just how very proud we are of her.  We shared the gift that friends at Valley had given her; I can't tell you how much that raised her spirits and blessed us as parents.  In the midst of our disappointment we still found a way to celebrate and enter in the joy of the day.  (In this I thought about our Lord who enters into our joy, even amidst our sadness and pain.)    And, there is another gathering tomorrow for the nursing class; another opportunity to celebrate!

We all have stories of disappointment; may God meet you in those times and provide strength and grace to see you through the sense of sadness and loneliness and fear, and bring you to a place of rest and joy in Him.

The joy of the Lord is your strength.  (Nehemiah 8:10)


6 Comments
Fred AITCHISON
6/5/2015 06:03:54 am

Congratulations to Andrea and the whole Family. I KNOW She will make an awesome Nurse and I am sure you will get a lot of Sermon material from your experience

Reply
John Kobylnik
6/5/2015 08:15:42 am

A truly touching note. Congratulations to all for this message. GOD Bless. John Kobylnik.

Reply
Kathy and Paul Zweep
6/5/2015 09:48:44 am

Congratulations to Andrea on her graduation!! I'm sure that she will make a wonderful and compassionate nurse! So sad that you had to miss the actual ceremony but such a blessing to have a beautiful daughter to celebrate! So sad for the other family's loss....
Blessings, Kathy and Paul

Reply
velma dikur
6/5/2015 02:30:28 pm

I am so sad that you missed the ceremony,she looked beautiful , thanks for posting .

Reply
Marilyne McCaldon
6/8/2015 01:54:01 am

Congratulations to Andrea for sticking with it throughout the challenges the program provided. She already has the personal qualities that will help her excel in caring for others, and now she has the paper work too! So glad to hear of her success, her graduation, and that you were able to gather and celebrate later in the day. It requires a certain outlook to find the joy amongst the sorrow, and to be aware of the pain of others you do not know. This girl is a product of her raising! You are right to be proud of her.

Reply
Tami O'Callaghan
6/9/2015 06:44:51 am

You write so well! Congratulations to Andrea, a great accomplishment!

Reply

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    Author

    Ken Clarke has been the Pastor at Valley since 2007. He lives in the Oliver area 
    with his wife Janice. They have three adult children, Lisa, Scott & Tiffany (Riley, Charlie), Andrea & Jason (Noah, Luke).

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4312 Black Sage Road Box 1235 Oliver, BC V0H 1T0 250-498-4829 valleyccc@hotmail.com