FEELING YOUR PAIN

This page is dedicated to those grieving the loss of a loved one 1 Pe 5:7. Sometimes hearing sad words or music makes us feel better because we know that the artist knows our pain Heb 4:15; Isa 53:3.

Jerry’s wife Gwen passed away on September 20, 2018. On the morning of January 23, 2019 Jerry woke up from his dream crying. He had to write about it and how it made him feel. His song is called “All This To Say.”


All This To Say

Woke up from dreaming that you were leaving.

Only to see, you had already gone.

Funny thing about dreams not always as it seems.

But this one had me crying at dawn.

A new world all upside down where to go.

What to do, can’t turn around.

Really don’t know where I am bound.

Sad to say once a smile, now a frown.

Part of this dream came true. What to do without you?

Hoping for the Old and fearing the new.

You always thought of me, now I always think of you.

Wishing and hoping are great things to do.

But waking from this dream broke my heart anew.

All this to say I’m missing you.

All this to say I’m missing you.

by Jerry Legacy

SELAH

During our small group Bible study, I shared my story of how Julia and I got engaged, reminiscing those happy days when I gave Julia a grass ring as an engagement ring. Janet later sent me a poem that she wrote describing this happening from Julia’s perspective. This was such a kind gesture to show me that she felt my pain of missing Julie. Below is the poem.

-The Grass Ring-

You wanted to give me the world, to show your love for me.
I already saw your love, in how you looked at me.
I said anything would do, a ring was not a must.
You looked humbly around, just above the dust.
You wanted to give me the world, just like Jesus did.
You gave me the world with your love, your love was never hid.
I preserved my ring in wax, to enjoy the moments past.
Your love for me is timeless, this love will always last.

by Janet Andre

SELAH

Greg lost his wife on August 16, 2015. He shares his heart in this short poem.

I Don’t Know (Memoriam)

I don’t know why I open my eyes;

I will never see the like of her.

The music of my life, its rhythm and meaning,

her sunlight gleaming: my food, my fodder,

pushing up love from its roots in my soul.

You see the world, now, through my eyes;

you breathe my breaths.

You are the beat of my heart.

I will cry the oceans dry for you, my love.

You are my life, my love forever—

by Gregory John Saxby

To check out Greg’s book “Sipping Tea” click here-

SELAH

“__Real -to -__Real “

December 17 2018

Well I woke up this morning and I just smiled

Cause in my dream , she just smiled at me.

Sometimes you struggle to focus , because you really_ really, don’t want to see.

It’s a new day, still dark outside, but it seemed a little brighter from my view.

Time doesn’t heal all, it just spreads out the grief, joining past, present and the new.

The past may haunt you, the present may grieve you, the future yet to be known,

Hold on to Hope, Pray for Peace, and Lean on His Love, for you are His own.

Like on an old Reel to Reel , recording how I feel, it helps me to not fall apart.

The pain is real, the hurt is real, this emptiness that so fills my heart.

Reel to Reel or Real to Real, it really boils down to one thing.

When Grief hits as it does unannounced, you surely will feel the sting.

by Jerry Legacy

SELAH

Time Will Tell
11:30 June 29, 2019

Time does not heal all of your sorrows,

But it does spread it over yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Time, time, where does it go,

Time, time, what will it show.

Time can be a friend, or an unwanted foe,

It may take you places, you don’t want to go.

Time, time, where does it go,

Time, time, what will it show.

Time waits for no one, not even you,

Can’t turn it back, where to go, what to do?

You can give yourself time, but don’t be a thief,

Time waits for no one,

Let time spread the grief.

As you wait to sense the morning,

To wait to sense the night,

Over and over time passes, still nothing seems right.

Time, time, where does it go,

Time, time, what will it show.

Longing for the past to be present in the future,

Grief needs time to be allowed to nurture.

by Jerry Legacy

SELAH

Thursday, February 16, 2017.

I was preparing to share Julia’s song, “Father of Love” for our next “Circle” meeting (a Bible Study group which meets every Friday afternoon at Bible Fellowship).  I was searching for a similar psalm with the same structure as “Father of Love” (the song starts out with Julia, crying out to God in the midst of trials, but then affirms God’s love by the end of the message).  I liked Psalm 56, but continued to search and stumbled across Psalm 88, which surprised me. I had always pictured the tribulation Psalms as presenting the psalmist’s adverse circumstances but always concluding with the positive truth that God would deliver them.  However, Psalm 88 was unique.  It introduced the psalmist in deep depression and ended with “darkness is my closest friend.” 

I did some research on the writer of this psalm trying to get more insight into this unusual psalm.  It was written by Heman the Ezrahite, not to be confused with Haman (Est 3:1), the dubious enemy of Mordecai in the book of Esther.  Interesting, Heman means truthful or faithful which he was in service to King David (1 Ch 15:16,17).  His father was Joel (1 Ch 6:31,32,33), a dishonest judge, son of the prophet and judge Samuel (1 Sa 8:1,2,3).  Heman was one of three elite singers chosen from the Levites, along with his family of seventeen children (1 Ch 25:4,5,6) to provide praise music.  He was also King David’s seer and was quite wise, being placed in the class of wise men compared to Solomon, the wisest man to ever live (1 Kings 4:29,30,31). 

Psalm 88 portrays a dark depression without a hopeful conclusion and yet the Holy Spirit allowed this psalm to remain in Scripture.  I focused on the very last verse, 

“18 You have taken from me friend and neighbor—darkness is my closest friend.” 

I then zoomed in on the word darkness and tried to make some connections with other Bible verses.

In Matthew 27 it is recorded,

45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.  46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

Also, in Isaiah 53, 

“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.  5 But he was pierced for our transgressions he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds, we are healed.”

I concluded that Heman was asking God, three rhetorical questions, which he believed the answers were no, but Jesus was coming to change the response to yes

10 Do you show your wonders to the dead?  Do their spirits rise up and praise you?

11 Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction?

12 Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

Jesus told Paul in Acts 26, 

15 “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ ” ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. 16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Heman was crying out symbolically for mankind, to be delivered from the darkness and Jesus came to finally answer and fulfill Heman’s request for all of mankind.

I thank you, Lord, for this insight during my struggle with the darkness, knowing You will bring good out of bad in my circumstances, if I allow You (Ro 8:28). 

by george Farkas

FATHER OF LOVE

SELAH (Even if my heart won’t stop aching…this heart of mine will forever praise You)

Jerry:

Living without, is not living.

FRI 1:01 PM

George:

Soon, He will wipe away every tear! Rev 21:4

4:30 AM

Jerry:

The loss of my Gwen started one year ago tomorrow . I was out banking and shopping the other day, and nothing was working out for me. And as usual, as I was driving to an empty home, it hit me with tears as I drove. Where am I going, what am I doing and why. As I wrote in my song, “Where to go, What to do, Can’t turn around.” The story behind my words, brought tears. September the 20th is coming up soon. The Year Of Second’s starts, the year of First’s hands off the baton to carry on the race only I can run. Just lonely in my heart.

The loss, the hurt, so deep. But does not compare to the “Love of the FATHER”. I did a recording of this song (not my words but my take of it).

LOVE OF THE FATHER
Jerry Legacy Cover

Love Of The Father

How deep the Father’s love for us,

How vast beyond all measure,

That He should give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure.

How great the pain of searing loss –

The Father turns His face away,

As wounds which mar the Chosen One,

Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the man upon a cross,

My sin upon His shoulders;

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers.

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished;

His dying breath has brought me life –

I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything,

No gifts, no power, no wisdom;

But I will boast in Jesus Christ,

His death and resurrection.

Why should I gain from His reward?

I cannot give an answer;

But this I know with all my heart –

His wounds have paid my ransom.

12:12 PM

George

These words of yours, “Just lonely in my heart. The loss, the hurt, so deep.” I’ve been living those words for three years. What has helped me, was realizing that this condition will exist until I enter eternity. So looking forward, recognizing that I have been given a little extra time to make a statement, of my love for God and His goodness in blessing me with a 42 year gift of marriage to Julie, I press on. One of Julie’s lyrics was “Don’t look back, you’re forward bound, fight on! That’s what I am doing until God wipes away every tear I have shed. Here’s her song “Storm the Wall.” She wrote it for my high school students when we were raising money for the orphans in Uganda.

STORM THE WALL

SELAH (Don’t look back, you are forward bound, fight on, fight on!)

Friday, September 20, 2019

Jerry’s version of Willie Nelson’s song on Gwen’s first anniversary of her promotion.

GETTING THROUGH IT

SELAH (It’s not something you get over, but it’s something you get through)

Sunday, October 20, 2019

AMAZING GRACE
by Jerry Legacy
AMAZING GRACE
by Streeter and Tang

SELAH (His amazing grace helps us get through our trials)

COMFORT (from Colin Smith’s sermon) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_RwdddF88Y

What encouragement can a believer give a person that has just experienced a non-fixable life trial? A non-fixable life trial could be the loss of a loved one, a permanent medical condition, loss of a limb, sight, hearing, speech, mental faculty and so on. The answer is found in Isa 40:1 where God tells Isaiah to “comfort my people.” In the previous chapter, Hezekiah is judged by God for exposing Judah’s wealth to the Babylonians. Isaiah informs Hezekiah that his descendants will be exiled and be in bondage for several years. Isaiah must have wondered what words could he use to comfort these Jewish parents, as this judgment would be a non-fixable future event. 

The good news is discovered in Isaiah 40. God declares his power and sovereignty and his ability to work out all things for the believer’s good. By trusting God, he will complete the good work that he began in them.

You might think, your non-fixable life trial has ended any thoughts that you could continue to serve God. Wrong! God was aware of this event before you were born and this could be the zenith rather than the base, where your real ministry begins. The greater the trial, the greater the glory!  Just keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and he will produce the fruit through you.

J. Stuart Holden was an English pastor in the early 1900’s in London, England. He and his wife had two tickets for the maiden voyage of the Titanic, as Holden was to attend a six-day conference in New York. However, his wife became ill, a week before the excursion and Holden then decided to stay home to take care of his sick wife. He returned the tickets the day before the ship’s departure. After the sinking of the vessel, Holden framed the two envelops that the tickets came with and displayed it above his fireplace. 

One day, an acquaintance visited Holden, and as was his habit, Holden shared his Titanic story and praised God for the testimony of the love of God. The visitor agreed with his marvelous outcome but informed Holden, it would be better to praise God for the testimony of the sovereignty of God. A fellow pastor from Glasgow, John Harper was on the Titanic and lost his life while sharing the gospel, as the ship was sinking and while drifting in the frigid waters before dying. Did God love Holden more than Harper? No. Harper glorified God through his death whereas Holden was glorying God with his life.

I JUST DON’T KNOW

SELAH (God works all things out for the good of those that love Him)

My thoughts today. Though death has come, there is still life. Things in life are still there. But your sorrowing heart has filtered out the joy for now. We will gradually allow joy to join us on our path, but it is still our decision when that will occur. Most will understand, but not all. The path is not an easy one but not impossible to travel on. The Lord knows sorrow like no other. When you take your heart to Him, He knows like no other, the way from Mourning to Joy. Grief is a -must take item -on this journey, to use it along the way back to the Joy. Though the sadness of loss in your heart will never leave, the Weight of it will lessen as you Wait on the Lord to lead you on this Journey. From your Mourning -to a new Morning with SON-shine Death is just a breath away, we know not when. We only know that in CHRIST, we will meet again. Love in life -with Christ – will last, New Joy He will restore greater than the past.

J- Jesus

O- on

Y- you

Jerry -November-19-2019

YET NOT I (Jerry Legacy)

SELAH (From mourning to joy)

MY DAZE DONE
March 7, 2020.

My Daze Done

Our days are numbered, we know not where or when.

But time for us will end someday, to start over again.

Life won’t be as now, it won’t be the same.

We’ll live for His love, we’ll praise His name.

We’ll see more clearly, from darkness to light.

No shadows to keep us from wrong to right. 

For now my life seems empty, trying to fill my days.

Looking out my heart’s window, I stare in a daze.

But that won’t last forever, l’ve been told by a friend.

What a friend we have in Jesus, He’ll see you to the end.

Here the Daze of the days, will fade but not end. 

Not so in His Glory every knee will bend.

Our days are numbered, we know not where or when.

But time for us will end someday, to start over again.

Jerry

SELAH (Looking forward to starting over again in Eternity)

The Lost Wheel
April-3-2020

Oh to find a new purpose in life, after a purpose lost

Could I, would I, should I and at what cost?

To draw back life’s curtain, to take that step into tomorrow

Needing a new strength in your heart to glean the joy out of the sorrow.

With that purpose lost, putting your shoulder to the wheel,

Is daunting, in so many ways.

Hard to steer your heart, what to think, what to feel.

The new normal, the new purpose, the new now, the new real.

It’s sadly scary, putting your weakened shoulder to a new wheel.

The love of my life, my wife, my friend,

My purpose, My Wheel never to shoulder again.

Put Your shoulder, to your wheel, don’t wait till you are older,

We all need a purpose, a wheel to shoulder.

Wheels were meant to go around and around,

Missing my heart’s wheel that stopped, I so loved that sound.

Jerry

I wrote this April-3-2020

George

I feel your pain Jerry. I miss my wheel too! However, I’ve been dealing with a bigger issue. Has my wife become an idol and pushed God to second place? I had to be honest with myself, I was more excited to see Julie again that to meet Jesus face to face. I knew this was wrong but didn’t know why I felt like this. After pondering this point, I said it was because Julie was tangible, we shared the most fulfilling intimate physical relationship on earth, she met all my emotional needs by listening and comforting me in an audible voice. God is Spirit, I don’t experience His physical presence like I did Julie’s, and His answers varied from soon to never. But this morning, when I was seeking how to change my thinking, I had a thought, which I believe was not from me but God’s Spirit within me. The thought was “loyalty!” I’ve always believed that loyalty was my greatest character trait and since Julie was such a loyal helpmate to me in every area of my life, I would be loyal to her until we met again in heaven. However, how loyal have I been to Jesus. After 37 years of being a Christian, I had lost the emotional value of what Jesus did for me at the cross. I had accepted it as an after thought rather than being grateful and showing Jesus my loyalty to Him for His sacrifice. I have served God more as my duty rather than my love of my life. Today, I want to revive my emotional feelings of Jesus’ love for me. That to me is my new purpose and yes there was nothing wrong with my feelings for Julie, just that I had to see how much greater Jesus had loved me and to respond to His love.

SELAH (We love because He first loved us)

Two different takes on a great song and story of an inspiring saint that lost his family at sea.

IT IS WELL by Jerry Legacy
IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL by Streeter and Tang

SELAH

Some Days

Though some days have come and gone,

My loss days linger on.

Looking so for the dawn

And the battle to be won.

To that darkness of dying

As one takes that final breath.

You will find yourself crying,

The reality of death.

You were two, now you’re one.

This new journey has begun.

Can’t see the light of new life.

Blinded only by the strife.

Jerry

SELAH

Time to Time

1-There’s a time for a tear

There’s a time for a smile.

I’ve had my share of tears

To last me awhile.

2-Cause my heart’s been emptied

Of a joy that filled my life.

Of a friend, a lover

Of a helper, of a wife .

You will only know the pain

When you know the pain yourself.

Like from Riches to Rags

Like to poverty from wealth.”

3-From -Time to Time- we all travel

Life’s road without a care.

Till one day when we look over

To see No one, sitting there.

4-Time to time was ours

But now it’s only mine.

What time is it now?

I’ll wait, I don’t mind.

⁃ Just tell me the time .

Jerry – July-10/11-2020

Time To Time

SELAH

THE JOY OF LIFE

The joy of life is heavens dust

Swept from the glory stones

They are God’s gift to everyone

Surrendered plans their own.

 

The joy of life this precious jewel

Found in the inner child

Is brought to life with sweet caress

And nurtured with a smile.

 

The joy of life this wondrous kiss

Brings blessing meant to share

It fills the day with wondrous dreams

And reaches out with care.

 

The joy of life it dances free

Like fireflies in the night

To catch the breeze and flow with grace

Till one lost soul it rights.

 

Tender overture beckoning Light

The joy of life that fills the night

Drink deep, drink long, O little one

From this fresh pool of heavens delight.

by Murray Lamothe

SELAH