Gratefully Unfinished: A Creative Grief Devotional

By Amy Christine Grier-Heldebrandt

Grief is a journey that must be travelled- there is no way around, over, or under it.  You must go through it, and I pray this creative devotional will bring you some joyful moments as you process a terrible time in your life. It includes links to music, art, my favorite coffee house in the world, and paper crafters I know.  Follow the links as you work through the devotional. There is no "7-day" or "12-week" time frame for a very important reason: after grieving the loss of 5 very close members of my famliy I have learned grief does not happen on a schedule! Since this is an eBook, you can print it out as many times as you like. You will find pictures of my work for inspiration on how to get started (I was not able to put them here.) on Instagram- @coffeehousecards and @coffeehousecrochetandgifts

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amy Christine Grier-Heldebrandt
• Release date: Mar 25, 2021
• ISBN: 9781386825494

Amy Christine Grier-Heldebrandt

Amy Christine lives in Johnson City, TN with her husband, Jay and her cat, Nala Grace. They attend Calvary Church and enjoy visiting the local parks to discover the beauty their new home has to offer.They have 2 grown children. This is Amy Christine's first book, and she prays it brings you comfort, and that you will find joy as you move through the grieving process, however your loss occurred. Author questions can be emailed to [e-mail] or visit Amy on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/coffeehousecreations

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DEDICATION & MISSION

This devotional is dedicated to my family and friends who have supported and encouraged me through life and through its writing. It is dedicated to anyone who has or is grieving. It is dedicated to anyone who will grieve. It is dedicated to anyone who will help someone grieve.

May God wrap you in His immeasurable grace and limitless peace. May He give you joyful memories of your loved one to sustain you through the next days, weeks, months, and years of your life. May He comfort and keep you when it seems no one else will. May His joy be your strength, and His strength be enough for you in your weakness. (Nehemiah 8:10 and 2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

The mission of this devotional is to glorify God. He has redeemed each loss I have endured for His glory and mission for my life, according to His promise in Romans 8:28, and though I am not thankful to have lost the ones I’ve loved, I am thankful that today, right this moment, you have this devotional to help you through the difficult journey ahead of you. So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together for good, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed mission. God placed an anointing on my life to serve grieving families, but it took many years to prepare me to serve in that appointment. Chains had to be broken. I had to learn not to take on others’ pain myself; my tender heart had its own healing to do. My shame at not having been able to save Rob and Kayla Ann had to be broken off me. And I had to forgive Rob for what he’d done. That forgiveness will be a work in progress until we meet again, until I can give him the last hug I wish I’d been able to give him before he left us. Rob gave great hugs that communicated great love, God’s love. As I write these pages, I could really use one!

God promises us that the answers we need we will have, though maybe not on this side of eternity. It is a very challenging lesson to learn, and it takes a long time. But it is only when you learn it that you will have peace. I can say that with honesty and with experience because it is a lesson I had to learn myself, and I hope the lessons I’ve learned from my multiple grief journeys will comfort you.

For all of God’s promises find their yes of fulfillment in him. And as his yes and our amen ascend to God, we bring him glory!

2 Corinthians 1:20

You will find some interactive music links in this book! I encourage you to listen to the songs that helped me to heal; they ministered to my broken heart, and they helped me set my heart on Jesus, the healer of its brokenness. You will also find links to artists that I find inspiring for art journaling, knitting, and crocheting. I am not getting paid by any of them. I am also not getting paid by any of the stores I share that offer sales or discounts on art & craft supplies, but I see a deal, I share it!

THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE

Nine o'clock on an early summer night. A call from an unknown number that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I answered it because, you know,  it just seemed necessary. But nothing after that call was ever the same.

Hello?

Amy, this is Joe, Rob's father-in-law. Do you have Kayla this weekend?

No.

OH, okay, There was a definite sort of disappointment in his voice.

That was it. After that, my spirit was just off.