Mikey Joe V - Angels of Comfort
Tracy Lee • May 21, 2020
What a blessing it is to be able to read. It was not so long ago that reading was uncommon among the masses. Even today, we see many people who remain illiterate due to dyslexia or some other underlying cause. Reading is better than movies. It is better than plays. Reading is a gift to our souls because it allows us to engage our minds, imagination, reasoning, and intuition. It allows us to accept the words to our brains at the speed at which we can understand and interpret their meaning. Once we understand their meaning, we are at liberty to accept or reject them as truth or error. I am thankful for the blessing of reading in my life. I hope you are too.
I read an article this morning. While I found some of the article acceptable, most of it seemed mystically based. It did, however, evoke deep thought, encourage contemplation, critical thinking, and evaluation within my mind and soul. At the end of the article, I had considered new theories, reasoned whether they were soundly based, and either accepted or rejected them. It was an educational morning for me.
The interesting part of the article for me was the section entitled “Angels of Comfort.” In this section, the author addresses two different types of angels. She writes of angels who take upon themselves a physical form. She states, “A true angel encounter is when angels assume physical bodies. They have a different essence about them. They come out of nowhere, deliver the message or assistance and leave without a trace.” (Kermie Wohlenhaus, Ph.D., Angels of Grief, Comfort, and Hope)
Ms. Wohlenhaus also writes of angels who remain in a spiritual form and communicate soul to soul. It is this second concept of spirits that had merit to me. She states, “Most times angels do not take physical form for us to see and hear with our physical senses, but their presence will be unmistakable, soft, and kind in an intuitive way. A warmth will pour over us, filling us with ease and peace, from out of nowhere there is deep serenity.” (Kermie Wohlenhaus, Ph.D., Angels of Grief, Comfort, and Hope)
Six months ago, I lost my grandson. His loss was earth shattering to our family. I experienced consuming anguish and worried deeply about his mother, my daughter. Inwardly, I felt as though my life would end. Breathing became an unnatural chore. I feared that such grief might cause my daughter to give up on living and that the shadow cast upon our hearts would be too great to endure.
I sought relief and comfort through prayer, knowing that without it, my workaholic tendencies would consume me, and I would disappear within my choices of chore rather than traversing and growing through my future of pain and anguish. I asked God to surround me with celestial light and the companionship of loving and guiding angels that through them, he would impart His spiritual comfort and wisdom that I might be able to endure the sorrow I was bearing. I prayed that my eyes and soul would be receptive to direction, understanding of His plan, the actions that would bring recovery to my soul; and that my daughter and I would experience and carry with us through the days of our lives, the love we felt for our Mikey Joe and for our Father’s Plan of Happiness.
As my daughter and her family arrived on the mainland, we waited for the arrival of our precious loved one’s tiny body. I felt the blessings of angels around me, comforting me, giving me the strength to carry out my duties as my grandson’s grandmother, my daughter’s mother, and my family’s funeral director. Those days were very ominous and difficult for me. The burden of my grandson’s loss was magnified by the terror of my daughter’s pain. I did not know how I would get through them, how I would recover from them, and even more daunting, how I would help my daughter survive them.
As I lay in bed one evening, praying, and drifting into slumber, I felt the loving powers of God’s ministering angels surround me. The celestial comfort and communication expressed beyond doubt that all would be well and that this was His plan from the beginning. The companionship of love was so overwhelming, that I could not relate to the physical world of pain and suffering in which I resided. I wondered, momentarily, if I were still living or had I slipped off into the loving embrace of Jesus Christ, to continue my progression as a spirit until that glorious promise of resurrection.
The experience could not have been a long one, as I suddenly realized that I was not breathing, and unwillingly gasped for life-sustaining air. The pain of air entering my lungs regrettably carried with it the sorrows of reality. My life, however, was somehow different for I knew beyond any shadow of doubt, that my daughter and I would survive this excruciating experience of loss; that we would recover from the bowels of grief; and that one glorious day, we would reunite with our beloved baby, Mikey Joe, in the Holy presence of our Lord and Savior, with a sure knowledge of our Father’s Holy Plan of Happiness, to continue on, eternally, with joy, peace, and tranquility.
That, my dear friends, is the experience of comforting angels. My life has forever changed. I have experienced the death of my beloved grandson, realized the loss of hope and joy, seen my daughter writhe in agony without the power to lighten her burden, and as I lay waiting to die for relief within my own bed, I have been rescued from the pain of hell through the unmistakably soft and kind comfort of visiting angels and mercies of God.
I am thankful for their rescue. I am thankful for God’s Holy Plan of Happiness. And, I am grateful that I have the opportunity to help others loosen the ropes of hell in their search for grief’s recovery.
I pray for you and all who mourn, that recovery will be your gift as you walk through the valley of the shadow of death; that you will overcome fear through the spirit of Christ and that His steadfast rod and unyielding staff will guide and comfort you; that His goodness and tender mercies will follow you all the days of your life, and that you will dwell surrounded by His peace and love within His house, forever. (Ref: Psalm 23:4-6) That you, like I, will seek and find recovery through the loving embrace of God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, and through their ministering angels of comfort.
My grandson is dead but he is not lost. We will one day meet at the feet of Jesus to reunite as children of God, an eternal family forever more. I look fondly toward that sweet and glorious day.
My name is Tracy Renee Lee. I am a Certified Grief Counselor (GC-C), the Managing Funeral Director (FDIC,) and owner of Queen City Funeral Home in Queen City, Texas. I am an author and syndicated columnist. I write books, weekly bereavement articles, and grief briefs related to understanding and coping with grief. I am the American Funeral Director of the Year Runner-Up and recipient of the BBB’s Integrity Award. I deliver powerful messages and motivate survivors toward positive recovery.
It is my life's work to comfort the bereaved and help them live on.
The past two weeks have been difficult for me. I have suffered the loss of a dear friend and have served families that have suffered great losses. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unwarranted loss, stress, and heartache to so many people this year. Not only have we lost loved ones, but we have lost our economy, our comfort, and our security as Americans. Everywhere I look, it seems that people are rude and uncaring toward each other when what we need is love. I wish we could be kind to each other, considerate to each other, and help each other through our difficulties rather than burning cities, burning businesses, and tearing apart what makes up great, our Union. Americans are the most blessed people in the world. We live in a time of convenience and wealth. Why is it then that we can’t add kindness and respect to our society? Why must there be murders and brutal attacks on innocent people walking down the street? I work with families every day who would give all that they have for just one more moment with their loved one to say, “I’m sorry” or “I love you.” Time is so precious, but even more precious is the way that we treat others. For if we treat others with contempt, we will reap the bitter reward of hatred. Hate eats a person from the inside out, and no matter how hard a hateful person tries to find happiness, it will never come to them. I know this because I see it every day. A hateful heart has no room for happiness. Happiness only comes to those who love. Love is like light. Light is the only thing that is stronger than the dark. If you have a completely dark room and you strike a match, the light from that match will push the darkness away and light up the room. Conversely, if you have a room filled with light and you cup your hands to create a spot of darkness. As soon as you open your hands, the dark is gone. Light overpowers it just as love overpowers hate. Love is the only thing that is stronger than hate. If you strike an ember of love in the heart of someone full of hate, love will grow and overtake their hatred. In my profession, love is very important. I see all too often those who have pushed love aside thinking that they were winning an argument or for some other ridiculous reason. What I see when this happens is that at the end of life, those who were foolish and let hatred get the best of them suffer the most. They remain miserable for the rest of their lives. Don’t be one of these people. Don’t let hatred get the best of you. And most assuredly, let us not allow hatred to overtake our country. I don’t want to live in a world filled with hatred and discontent. I want happiness and love for all. I especially want love in your life when you suffer loss because believe me, when the grim reaper knocks, it’s too late to cry for one more moment to say, “I’m sorry” or “I love you.” At that moment, the weight of hatred crushes every hope you ever had to make amends, to accomplish happiness, or to right any wrong you may have perpetrated. It’s too late and you are the person who will suffer the consequences of your vicious actions. You are the person who will have no friends, no love, and who will die alone; miserable because of your hatred and terrible deeds. I know because I see it in so many people who thought they could just make a statement, a judgment, or an action and not suffer the consequences. In the end, it’s the hateful people who suffer the consequences. They die alone without love or support. Their needs are not met and they writhe in misery. I lost a dear friend this past week. He was kind, loving, and good. He made the world a better place, and he made my life happier through his actions of kindness toward me. I wish everyone alive could have known my friend. Christ died to make man holy, and my friend John took up his offer. John was a holy man. He lived his life serving others, teaching others, and helping anyone who needed help. He was filled with love and he shared his love with those who needed it. If we could all be like John, the world would be an amazingly happy and beautiful place. John is gone and I feel the weight of his loss deeply in my soul. He leaves a legacy of service to our nation, service to Christ, and service to anyone who needed it. He was a good man, a great man, and now he is gone. I will have the honor of directing his memorial service in a few days. The church will be bursting as those who John served make their way there to express their sorrow and love for him. I will be one of those people. John’s legacy will continue in his absence because he ignited goodness, love, and service in the hearts of those about him. May we all understand and embrace John’s mission in life to serve and love our fellow beings. Doing so will bring us the greatest rewards. It will fill our lives with the greatest gifts on earth; joy, happiness, and love. This is my prayer for you, for our nation, and for the world during this time of uncertainty and discontent. Thank you, John, for being my friend, and my God bless you as you arrive home, never to suffer more, the pains of the world nor heartaches of men. Godspeed.
I received a first call late last night and was therefore at the hospital when I ran into an acquaintance of mine. As we spoke, she told me that her father had recently died. She began to cry and I offered to send over a set of my grief books (Mourning Light I, II, & III) to her office the following morning. I wrote her a sympathy card and delivered the books about 15 minutes ago. She had not yet arrived at her office, so I left the books and card with her secretary. The following is the note I wrote in the sympathy card. I thought I would share it, in hopes that it might help others who mourn as well. Dear Friend, February will be the 2nd anniversary of my grandson’s death. It is said that “Death is Final”; that is untrue. The pain and loneliness remain in my soul, and it feels as though I held his lifeless body, yesterday, in my arms. That day broke me; it almost killed me. Had I not had the love and support of my husband and children, I don’t think my sanity would have remained with me. The pain continues to crush my soul with anguish. There are 4 things that have helped me survive the debilitating pain of losing my grandson, and I wanted to share them with you in hopes that you might find peace in them as well. Prayer Prayer was, and continues to be, my saving grace. Without the love and promise of Christ’s redeeming grace, peace would remain unobtainable. Recounting my Experience Sharing my story out loud made it real. It took away my fear. It gave me power over the chaos of pain. Information As a certified grief counselor, knowing what to expect and whether it was normal or abnormal helped keep my worries at bay. The books that I have sent over are filled with information, plainly and simply written, to help you understand and identify the symptoms of grief, as well as recovery’s signs and secrets. Journaling Writing down my anguishes, thoughts, pains, worries, and fears helped me to let them go. I was able to organize myself, and it gave me hope for my future. I am sorry for the dreadful sorrow in your heart, and the pain that infiltrates your daily existence. I understand that breathing feels unnatural, it takes effort to continue on, and that peace eludes you. I wish that death did not exist, but it is a reality that the both of us know all too well; one that we must endure. I believe that families are forever, that we are all God’s children, and that we will reunite with our loved ones across the veil as we too, one day, experience death. Until that day arrives, however, I pray that you and I will live our lives as emissaries of Christ, basking in his grace, and recipients of his glory. I hope that as you suffer the loss of your daddy that you will feel comfortable in reaching out to others, and that you might call me should you need assistance. The pain of grief should never be carried nor suffered in silence, nor alone. Reach out and allow those who love and care for you to lighten your burdens. Life will never be as it once was, but it will improve as you share priceless moments of peace with those who remain by your side. I hold you in high esteem, and pray that Christ’s promise will grace your soul. With Deepest Regards, Tracy Lee My name is Tracy Renee Lee. I am a Certified Grief Counselor (GC-C), Funeral Director (FDIC), published author, syndicated columnist, and co-founder of the “Mikey Joe Children’s Memorial” and Heaven Sent, Corp. I write books, weekly bereavement articles, and Grief BRIEFs related to understanding and coping with grief. I am the American Funeral Director of the Year Runner-Up and recipient of the BBB’s Integrity Award. It is my life's work to comfort the bereaved and help them live on, as well as educate adults in the needs of surviving children.