Day 6
Endure Suffering With Hope
Reflection By: Mary Yunger

"He was in the wilderness." Mark 1:13

As I write this reflection I actually am in the desert. I accompanied my father as he returned to the winter home in Arizona that he had left 10 weeks earlier. My mother had died suddenly, only three days after Thanksgiving.

Four of us had flown out to Arizona to be with him as Mom was removed from life support. As we left the hospital after mom died, the sun was shining brightly, but we barely noticed it. The stark desert landscape that Mom had grown to love only seemed to mirror the pain and loss we were experiencing.

Once home, desert dryness was replaced by the stark whiteness of the first winter snowfall of the season. It was bitterly cold as we processed into the small parish church for Mom's Mass of Resurrection. Frigid winds crystallized the tears on our cheeks and threatened to chill our hearts.

We gathered around Mom's coffin in the tiny vestibule and covered her with the white cloth that symbolized new life. Then we turned to enter the church. I looked around. Next to me - a loving husband. All around me - - family and friends, including several members of St. Raphael's parish community, who had driven 40 miles to share the love of the community. I saw the sunlight shining through the stained glass windows. My heart warmed. I smiled through my tears. For I knew with certainty that in this time of mourning I was not alone. My life was filled with "angels."