“Condolences, the Philadelphia Phillies, and a Butter Dish
October 21, 2023
Faithful friends and loved ones have been checking in on my family and me to see how we are doing since Mom’s passing a month ago today. My standard answer is typically one of two replies – “I’m doing fine until someone asks me how I’m doing,” or “My grief ebbs and flows but God’s grace sustains.” You may know how that is. One moment I look at a picture of Mom and I smile with warm memories, and then another moment I look at a different picture and I cry. Grief is definitely a journey of joyful and sad days and a journey that will never cease the missing of our loved ones who have passed on before us.
However, a few things have comforted me greatly during the season of losing Mom. They include condolences, the Phillies, and a butter dish. First, the outpouring of beautiful sympathy cards with lovely sentiments, Scripture verses, and the sender’s personal memories of Mom, brings immense comfort. The cards’ heartfelt words and expressions of what people remember most about my Mom and how she will be long remembered offer solace and understanding.
Secondly, the phrase, “Let’s Go Phillies,” which was one of the last phrases my Mom, an avid Philly fan, uttered the day before she died. We didn’t miss one televised game in the last several years. That would be an average of 162 games per season. Watching the games now without Mom is somewhat bittersweet – it is comforting to continue the tradition of watching the games even though I miss sitting with Mom.
And finally, a simple butter dish that Mom always used in her kitchen, which is now in my kitchen, also brings immense comfort. The simplicity of that dish, one that Mom moved from the refrigerator to the counter every day so that the butter would soften and then be easily spread on toast that she prepared for Dad, serves as a sentimental symbol of her presence and love in my life. Mom was able to care for Dad and prepare his meals for 69 of their 74 years of marriage, until she was 91 years of age. There is solace in the routine of reaching for her butter dish and spreading butter just as she did, and in remembering her nurturing and caring nature.
Cards of condolence, “go Phillies” mantras, and a simple butter dish have been comforting me in my grief this past month. However, as thankful as I am for all that brings comfort, I am most thankful for the grace of the Holy Spirit, the Great Comforter, who brings peace, a sense of calm, and reassurance during a difficult time.
18 “I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you. John 14:18