Yesterday, God broke my heart.
Yesterday, I worked at our Thrift Store, Twice Blessed, opened by our Outreach ministry to raise funds for our food, rental, employment, and utility programs. The Thrift Store is a mission in itself, operating in one of the poorest zip codes in Georgia. As we step into this new journey, I am slowly learning God’s plan for this space as He shares His sons and daughters with our team.
Yesterday, He broke my heart…
A sweet older woman came into the Thrift Store yesterday with donations. I welcomed her at the door, where she told me, “It took me everything I have to drive in this parking lot today.” She was wiping tears from her eyes. She went on to explain that the last time she was in this parking lot was to bury her husband at the Catholic Church across from our store. It had been a few years since his death.
In a gentle voice, she shared her gratitude for the 30-plus years she was blessed to spend with “the other half of my heart and soul.” She recalled how she would sing him his favorite songs, rub his feet, and lay her head by his neck to breathe in his smell as he lay in a coma for months. She shared how good the Lord was to her when He answered her prayer to see His eyes open one last time before he died. And, she shared with me the final promise her husband kept; that when he passes from this life to the next, she would be in the room, holding his hand.
She graciously shared her marriage with me—because she needed me to know what she was giving us. Her donations weren’t simply unused items from a tired, old closet. The items she brought were a part of her love story. Gifts she bought him, the mugs he drank his morning coffee in, and nicknacks around their home that told the story of their life together. She was entrusting us with a piece of her marriage, the tangible pieces that tell the story of great love and heavy loss.
What a beautiful honor that is.
So, like I said in the beginning, God broke my heart yesterday. He broke it in a way that makes space for another—a new perspective, a new appreciation for what He is asking of us at Twice Blessed. A place where one story ends and a new one begins as people share parts of their story with meaningful treasures for the sake of a better community.
I share this store with you as we read about marriage this week in the Gospel. The gift of marriage is the foundation of our society—the space created for life and love and the sign by which we understand the gift of Christ, the bridegroom, for his Bride, the Church, that He gives us on the Cross. We cannot reawaken a culture of life without honoring the dignity of marriage.
