Let the Healing Begin

When my grandmother died in 2004 from ovarian cancer, a piece of me died with her. Out of all of my (huge) family, she was the most positive and supportive of my emotional and spiritual growth. For nearly a year afterward, I found myself trying to visit, only to get partway there and realize she was not at home. Many times I picked up the phone, then have to stop in mid-dial, remembering that she would not answer.

She had died in October, and when what would have been her 91st birthday came around the following August, I did something she had always encouraged me to do. And that was to always pursue my dreams, so on her birthday, I started to write. Three weeks later, I had completed a ten-chapter book, a romance of sorts, that I called 'The Healing Garden.' In the story, a garden was used to heal the heroine, and through writing the story, it healed me. By the time the first anniversary of her death came a few weeks later, I was able to let her go.

Listening to Matt Maher, I realized that a garden is an important feature in living for the Lord. It does not have to be a literal garden, although that heightens the experience of going somewhere peaceful where a person's heart and mind can commune with God. After all, was that not part of Adam's job-to dress and keep the garden-so that it was peaceful and serene for his walk with God in the cool of the day?

Six years after writing this (purposefully unpublished) book, I was pleasantly surprised while visiting Charleston, South Carolina. On the campus of MUSC (Medical University of South Carolina) they had just finished building and dedicating 'The Healing Garden' with the very same concepts that I had written in my story. I'm sure there are 'healing gardens' all over the country, but this one had the same name, and was dedicated to those that had died from cancer. It brought a certain closure, because once I wrote the story, I wanted to actually build the garden, but it was not possible for me to do that. God let me see that He had given my vision to others and turned it into a reality.

Tenth Avenue North has captured the healing process beautifully in the following song. Also, I would encourage all who are dealing with the pain of loss to find a garden to walk through. The sights and sounds of God's creation can be soothing as we commune with Him, and let the healing begin.