Dear DBA Family,
Thank you so much for your support and encouragement during the loss of my father, Howard Malone. It has meant so much for us to experience your personal notes, Facebook replies, phone calls, flowers, and tree donations. Each of them has reminded me of you and your concern.
Scripture tells us in Psalm 23 that David said, “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me. Your rod and your staff they comfort me.” This passage has become real to me these days. God has used you and others to be used by Him to show his handiwork. For example, God placed my son Levi at my parents’ house to take my dad back to our tree farm following our family Thanksgiving. Levi was the one who identified that my dad had passed away. It was a blessing that he was with my mother, and he was the one who identified that my dad was no longer breathing. If my mother had found him in this situation, it would have crushed her. A photographer, at the same time, sent a picture taken the day before of my mom and dad. This was the only picture we received that day, and she had taken over 200 the day before. It was a comfort from the Lord to see it show up on Cathy’s phone.
On multiple occasions, many of you called or texted. On several of those phone calls, you offered comforting words that helped me walk through the valley. God used those human words to strengthen my family and me, and remind us that you and our Lord value us.
On the day of the funeral, several family members, friends, and a fellow Director of Missions drove three hours to the funeral. It was so comforting to see those people. I was reminded at that time of the value of presence amid grief. God, in that instance, used human beings to show his comfort and the Spirit’s presence.
Since the funeral, others have made a point to shake my hand or offer a hug. This act of physical touch has helped me to realize that I am not alone. Truly, God has shown up in this time through you and other events.
All these experiences brought to mind an article I read several years ago on grief. The author recommended three beneficial practices:
1. Hug – The author suggested that people need appropriate physical touch in a time of grief.
2. Hang out – What the writer meant by using that term is to physically visit the person who is in grief.
3. Hush – Here, the writer focused on the fact that it is not about offering special words. In fact, the mantra would be less is more.
Thank you, Denton Baptist Family and Friends, for allowing God’s Spirit to use you to be His hands and feet to minister to my mother and our family as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death.