Revelation 21:4 “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Now listen—I was not sitting around in sackcloth and ashes waiting on Prince Charming to ride up in a pickup truck. I was thirty-nine and career bound. I had a good life. I paid my bills, planned vacations, and had great friends.

But for as long as I could remember my mom always dreamed about my wedding day. I know she meant well, and she was praying for grandkids. But I was not ready for my Big Fat Greek Wedding quite yet.

Fast forward six years, and there I was, in lace and lipstick, about to experience my own happily-ever-after. But my heart was broken. No. Livid.

I knew Mom was supposed to live to be 120 or at least until Jesus would come back down in the clouds. So how was it possible that cancer could take her from this world before my wedding day? She never smoked, did aerobics faithfully, and only ever ate health food.

So, before I could say my country nuptials, I walked down by the pond, sat on the dock, and just stared at the water. I tried to remember what her voice sounded like. I tried to picture her smile.

But all I could do was whisper, “You were supposed to be here.”

The wind didn’t answer, and the skies didn’t part, but deep down, I knew I was not alone. I sensed the nearness of God—not fixing it, not explaining it—but sitting right there beside me.

Family, I would never have written the story this way, but I am learning that God can be trusted with pages that feel torn and unfinished.

There is a whole lot in this life that won’t ever feel fair, but I believe with everything in me that God still knows what He is doing. One day, we will see it all made right, but until then, He is able to redeem even our deepest pain in ways we never expected.

 He sees what we’ve lost. He holds what we cannot. If all you can do today is breathe and believe He’s still good, start there. There is healing, even now, and He is not through yet.