#NowNovember16: Amy Boyd

Hello Scribes,

I would like to introduce you to Amy Boyd. Today's installment of #NowNovember16 is a reflection of how Amy "feels the burn" of grief after losing her father. I too understand the burn of losing a parent, it is a pain that is uninvited but necessary. What we must do is remember our strength even when we feel the burn:

Amy Boyd is blessed with an awesome husband and a beautiful daughter.
She has been an educator for twenty six years.
Writing is a peaceful retreat for her and she is working on her first book to be released at the end of 2016.

Five months and 14 days . . . 

That is how long it has been since I received the call that my father passed away. At 5:19 p.m. life as I'd known it, changed. 

God has given me strength beyond compare, but it can be tricky. The very essence of strength is found in our weakness and that is the challenge. The world tends to celebrate my ability to function and cope which fools me into thinking I am strong. But the "burn" says different. 

Father’s Day comes soon and I celebrate my father. Fourth of July then my parents' anniversary arrives and I pretend it's just another day. Summer...no visits with music, sermons, silence, repetition, and hugs. Did I mention he had dementia? Yes, repetition...the burn, #NowNovember16. 

The 28th of every month, standing by the clock waiting for 5:19...the burn.
Autumn is in the air and September, his birthday month, approaches...the burn.
Feel the burn. . . the burn is the pain in the emptiness. It is the cry you suppress because it makes you hoarse when released. It is the reality of the finality, and it burns.  

Rather than deal with the grief, I attempted to manage my emotions until they exploded into a fit of anger. It was then that the Lord showed me my heart. I was angry, hurt, and worn out from being strong. I broke down and wept. I let go of worldly measures of strength...I felt and continue to feel the burn. And because of God's grace, I am strong. (II Corinthians 12:9)

#NowNovember16 when grief greets us we must feel the burn and keep walking through it,