Word Study: Loss

This is dedicated to my beloved Mother Thelma J. Gatlin

Suffering the loss of a loved one is a very difficult process. There is profound sadness and pain in the realization that there is a space in your heart that will not be reoccupied. The pain that accompanies the loss of someone dear is very acute in the beginning, but it usually becomes more manageable with time.

Loss in 2020 looks different than loss at any other time I have known. It is a dual sense of loss. One because a person you loved and shared a relationship with has passed on and you will never again have the benefit of their company. The other is most notable for the times we are currently living in. The loss of not being able to grieve with the loved ones left behind is the second loss we are currently experiencing due to the pandemic crisis.

The passing of a loved one is a time for family and friends who shared a relationship with the deceased to come together to mourn and celebrate the life of the loved one. Unfortunately, due to this pandemic we are relegated to only close family members standing apart a gravesite shedding tears in isolation. It is like a second death.

I recently received news that one of my “mothers in the gospel” had passed. I could not contain my tears as I heard the news, and neither could the person sharing the information. As distraught as I was to hear the news, I was more distressed about not being able to unite with the family in person during their grief. Sadly, there will not be a gathering together at a church where we can love, hold, and grieve with one another. There will be no repass where we share food and recount stories of our dearly departed mother. Besides her dying, this will be another great loss.

Mother Gatlin leaves behind a legacy of a good life. She raised her beautiful daughters and a son. I had known her for over 30 years and have worked with her for several of those years. One of the things that attracted me to her was watching her daughters make a fuss over her. She had trained them to work in the church and they were always helping her accomplish her tasks. I devoted myself to her and called myself one of her daughters. I had the opportunity to have words at her 80^th birthday celebration where I recounted two things Mother Gatlin would always have with her and would always offer me; that was hand sanitizer and a breath mint. I chuckle even know at remembering that about her.

I worked as Assistant to Mother who was the Dean of Workshops for our State Women’s Department. She had a spirit of excellence in everything she did and tried her best to instill that in me. My prayer is that I could do half as good a job as she did. The last time I talked to Mother, I remember her telling me that her daughters would be sending me an invitation to her 90^th birthday celebration. Sadly, this will no longer be possible. I am left to my memories of her which will always remain with me. Although this is a great loss, I am thankful for knowing her and having had her as part of my life. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15). Rest in peace Mother Thelma Gatlin.