On this Cold Night...

There is a family on this cold night who is missing their mother who died this past weekend.

A husband missing his wife.  Children trying to figure out how life will go on.  Perhaps the oldest daughter is recognizing a fraction of the loneliness her father feels.

There is a family on this cold night trying to imagine what the future will look like while they gaze upon the ashes that were the family business.

There is a couple on this cold night greiving the loss of an unborn child.

There is a family on this cold night wondering how they will put food on their table.

And I sit here on this cold night with a full belly, staring at a fully decorated Christmas tree that looks a bit tired this late in the season, a dog resting with his head on my shoulder,  more comfortable than I probably deserve to be. 

Am I richly blessed?  Or does that feeling come from comparison to the others who feel more fully the cold and loneliness of this night?

I am richly blessed. 
And richly blessed is the family who grieves the loss of their mother and wife who loved them so much. 
And richly blessed is the family whose business was the center of a community for forty years. 
And richly blessed is the couple who grieves the loss of their unborn child.
And richly blessed is the family who knows hunger this night but can compare it to the feeling of being full.

I am richly blessed this cold night.  I feel the cold through them. 

I grieve with them.  I pray for them.  I give thanks for them.