November 2019 Articles

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365 Days

365 Days
It’s October 30, 2019...I have dreaded this day. The one year anniversary of my sister, Velvet’s death. I’ve felt it coming for weeks. I could feel it drawing closer every time I felt the breeze being just a little cooler, or as the leaves began to fall.
It’s been 365 days since I have seen her beautiful smile, heard her voice, her laugh. It’s been 365 days since she’s hugged her children or her husband. 365 days since our family gathered in an ICU room around her as she took her last breath on this earth. It’s been 365 days of an emotional roller coaster for our family-realizing that no matter how shattered our hearts are, the world doesn’t stop turning and life just keeps trucking right along never even pumping the brakes to slow down for one’s grief.
It still hurts just as much 365 days later as it did on that beautiful October morning when my sister left this world and was welcomed into the arms of Jesus.
But, somehow, by the grace of God, through all of the heartache and grief over the last 365 days...the Lord has used not only Velvet’s life, but her death, to continue to shape and mold me in ways I could have never imagined. Every single day the Lord has been my shelter through this storm and has reminded me that when I am weak, HE is my strength.
God has taken these 365 days after the loss of Velvet to really open my eyes to the reality that everything happens in HIS time, not mine. And it is during our toughest struggles that our faith is truly tested. Velvet’s life was the perfect example of this. Through her hardest battles, even when told she had only a few hours left to live, she still continued to trust God and his plan for her. And it was in those moments, that she painted a beautiful picture for me of what true unshakable faith in the Lord is. As said in her favorite chapter in the Bible, Psalms 91:2, I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My GOD, in HIM I will trust.”
So, looking back, if I’ve learned anything from Velvet’s life and death over the last 365 days, it’s this...
Life isn’t always beautiful. It’s messy, it’s hard, it’s not fair. But, the Lord can make beauty out of the ashes. We are not promised tomorrow, life can change in the blink of an eye. Never take this for granted. So, if you love someone-tell them. Make time for them because In the end, it’s the little things that matter the most. But, most importantly, in Velvet’s own words, “always remember God is always there and He is always the light, no matter how dark it is.”
Thank you for teaching me this Velvet. Even if it did take 40 years for it to sink in. Forever my ride or die...I’ll see you soon sis.
Brittany Bennett Canterberry