The first annual Lights of Love happened in Assiniboia's Centennial Park on November 13. Candles were passed around. Assiniboia’s community choir sang Silent Night. The trees circling the campsite in the park were lit in memory of those who had passed away. Many of the people attending the event in the park were present to remember their loved ones who wouldn’t be joining them for Christmas this year. On the surface, Lights of Love embodied personal grief, but there was also something very encouraging about this time in the park, where the community gathered to light candles, stand by an open fire and hear the choir sing.
Although the event in Centennial Park might’ve materialized as an interval ridden with despondency to outside observers, a genuine spirit of hopefulness characterized Lights of Love in the early evening. Whenever we remember family members, friends and other people who were special, but are no longer able to share Christmas and other occasions with us any longer, we are obligated to have a moment to treasure and honour them. Events like Lights of Love are important, because times such as this allow us to confront personal grief and honour our loved ones who have passed into the next life. After all, true love is eternal and exists beyond the grave.
Nancy Guthrie, the author of Even Better Than Eden: Nine Ways the Bible's Story Changes Everything about Your Story, understood how the holidays and other times of fun and celebration will often seem empty without the presence of an important figure who had passed away. “When you’ve lost a member of your family, even the best of times are painfully incomplete. Someone is missing. Even the best days and happiest events are tinged with sadness. Wherever you go, the sadness goes with you,” Guthrie wrote.
Sharon W. Betters, the Executive Director of MARKINC Ministries, said we need to give ourselves permission to grieve. “Grieve for what was so that you can accept that the holidays will never be the same. With that acceptance, give yourself permission to enjoy what is and look for new treasures,” Betters suggested. “Acknowledge you are grieving. Give yourself permission to cry, to allow others to see your grief. And if you are looking for ways to help a grieving friend, these few whispered words, ‘I miss him too’ will break the ache in your friend's heart.”
