Comfort: One Piece at a Time

Each of us likely has experienced grief and probably have friends who are deep into this journey, too.

When I was considering how to support a friend through her first tender year of loss, I wanted to do something cumulative with scripture.

I settled on the idea of using the puzzle template which has 12 quilt blocks, which would provide me with structure for a verse each month.

Piece of puzzle template with scripture written on it

I curated verses on comfort and filled in the whole template. I selected cheerful colors and kept the overall look fairly "clean."

Next I cut out all the puzzle pieces and mixed them up.

Puzzle template cut into 12 pieces with scriptures of comfort written on each one

When I gave my friend her first piece, I included a puzzle template with it so she could glue the piece onto her own page, then add into her journal. I explained my idea of giving her a piece each month to savor and reflect upon, gradually completing the puzzle by the end of a year.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness! Lamentations 3:22-23

These little pieces of scripture doled out gradually are simply touchstones reminding my friend that she is loved by many and is never alone with the Great Comforter ever present with her.

Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted, on the Beatitudes BQJ template

Grief is tricky. Some days we may feel pretty much back to our "normal" mode, yet other days feel like we're falling to pieces.

Mourning is such a uniquely individualized process. In this uneven, unpredictable healing journey, sometimes we need to shed tears in private and other times we crave the meaningful conversation with close friends.

These factors make it difficult to know how to respond to someone in the midst of fresh grief.

Comfort verses on Flower border template — Comfort on Flower border template

I'm grateful that we have the comfort of scripture to tuck into wherever we are on this journey and appreciate the powerful comfort of the Holy Spirt to intercede on our behalf. As we trudge through our own personal hurts, we can emerge with deeper empathy to extend support to others alongside us, gradually restabilizing our broken hearts one piece at a time.