A new dawn
- Stephanie
- Apr 1
- 3 min read
In the quiet
In the waiting
In the silence
In the suffering
Still, You remain
In the chaos
In the movement
In the stirring
In the joy
Still, You remain
This time of year stirs in me such a sense of hope yet it also always seems to be mixed with sorrow. The glimpses of spring seem so fleeting, the chirping of birds all too often clashing with snow showers. The joy of the first warmth of a sun that I almost forgot existed tempered by a sudden spring illness or dreaded allergies. Spring sometimes feels like a physical representation of hope deferred. Will winter ever truly end?
Beyond the weather, this time of year also brings with it the Easter season. I think as I’ve gotten older, this has caused me to become more reflective. I was taking a walk with my husband the other day and shared how I wished more was made of Easter, not in a commercial sense, but just more … more reverence, more books, more celebrations, more traditions. Our world was changed forever when Jesus was born to a lowly virgin but without Easter Sunday, we would still be living as people without hope.
It is hard to even try to comprehend what Jesus went through. When thinking of his suffering, it can be easy to focus on the fact that he is God and remove his human side. But when I step back and think of all he endured, my heart breaks. To be betrayed unto death by one of his twelve closest friends? To have one of his dearest friends deny him not once but three times? To know his Father intended for him to die a painful and humiliating death? It almost feels like too much to even contemplate.
But the beauty of Easter is that the story didn’t end there. Friday was heartbreaking, Saturday was soul shaking but Sunday … Sunday changed everything forever. Sunday our Savior rose up from the grave and forever defeated death.
I realize I am not saying anything new here. I’ve actually written about this before. But I’ve been reflecting a lot lately. It’s been seven years and seven months since I first wrote here about my breast cancer diagnosis. Since then, I have written sixty-one blog posts (sixty-two, if you include this one) where I’ve poured out my heart regarding this unexpected journey I’ve been on. This has been such a healing outlet for me over the years. As I said before, it has often felt like I have been stuck in one very long, painful Saturday. But I will forever be grateful for the way so many of you came alongside me to encourage me in the midst of my disappointments and my heartbreak. I can see the dawn of Sunday just on the horizon.
Every year, I’ve had to decide whether or not to renew my domain name and my web site. This year, I’ve decided to let it go. As I’ve said in the past, I’ve had numerous blogs over the years and I am sure that sometime in the not too distant future, I will start one again. But for right now, I think I am ready to close this chapter.
Thank you all for your love, support, prayers and encouragement over these past seven years.
All my love,
*Last year I was thinking about how I wish there was more music associated with the Easter season so I started making a Spotify playlist. As you can imagine, it contained very few songs. But this year a beautifully cinematic album came out entitled “Resurrection of a King” and I have had it on repeat since Saturday. If you enjoy this song, definitely look up the rest of the album!
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