Embracing Goodness

By Jon Edward Gauthier

Within these pages are simple words of comfort and wisdom that offer spiritual consolation for those who have suffered the loss of a loved one and struggle with how life works. For some, the challenge may be finding the appropriate moments to pause and honestly process devastating pain. For others, verbally expressing what the heart feels presents an impenetrable wall. More broadly, this book is for anyone who has had a question about life and how we are to live it. It may benefit many people you know and love sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, and friends or it may benefit just one person, you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 9, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465347275

Book preview

Chapter 1

Life Changing Events

In every person’s life, there are events that change how they think, what they feel, and even who they are. For me, it began when I was 12 years old. I grew up in a large family, the seventh child and third son of 15 children. As you might expect, we were a bunch of kids at an endless party. But how little we knew.

On a fall October night in 1975, my older brother Tom died in a motorcycle accident. In 1977, my older sister Kathy died in a car accident. Two years after that, in 1979, I lost three sisters—my older sister Jackie and two younger sisters, Mickey and Kelly—and a young cousin, Trista, in another car accident. Our lives screeched to a halt. How could God allow this?

My experience is that it takes three years after a traumatic event to find what I call a new normal. Your heart aches and your mind races endlessly to re-create the events to somehow undo them, but you can’t.

People ask, How do you survive? Numb then and calmly now, I can only say, Do you have a choice? We moved forward because it was our condition to live—even if painfully.

To others, I would simply say the question is not whether a life-changing event will occur, but when. I’m always amazed at the number of people who say they have never suffered the loss of a loved one or another kind of tragedy before it happens. I have come to understand that everyone will suffer life changing events in their lifetime—everyone.

Life changing events not only can happen—they will happen. Prepare your heart and soul by cherishing the people in your life, accepting the world as fragile, and living your life focused on eternity.

Thomas Tom Dominic Gauthier: Born August 30, 1959; deceased October 9, 1975.

Kathleen Kathy Louise Gauthier: Born June 6, 1958; deceased August 26, 1977.

Jacqueline Jackie Erma Gauthier: Born December 26, 1960; deceased June 15, 1979.

Michelle Mickey Lucille Gauthier: Born February 20, 1969; deceased, June 15, 1979.

Kelly Kelly Sue Gauthier: Born November 10, 1970; deceased, June 15, 1979.

Trista Trista Danielle Hawkins: Born May 27, 1971; deceased, June 15, 1979.

Chapter 2

Believing in God

Believing in God is simply being perceptive to the world around you—and seeing how things work. He speaks clearly in times of trouble, and He speaks clearly when we nurture peace in our hearts—cultivating it in our minds and in our lives. But he is always communicating:

—   It is seeing a baby come into the world, holding him in your arms for the first time, and understanding for an instant that God is real;

—   It is traveling a dangerous road, feeling the car weave beneath you in the rain or on the snow, and knowing that God’s grace is keeping you from harm;

—   It is welcoming a pet into the family and learning first-hand what unconditional love is;

—   It is seeing the sunset or sunrise from a mountaintop or over the ocean and glimpsing the power and glory of God—even if it changes before your eyes and slips away; and,

—   It is praying for peace in a hostile world and knowing in your heart that it is through prayer and divine intervention in combination with man’s will, and not simply man’s will, that keeps us from crossing the brink of disaster.

In all these ways, God is around us, available for us to perceive Him—present to carry us in our moments of weakness. All we must do is look for him, ask for His help through prayer, and seek and do His will. (Remember, Seek and ye shall find.)

Chapter 3

Sadness and the Happy Warrior

Many years ago, I met a woman who grew sad because of the many injustices in the world. When at first she saw prejudice, poverty, and the lack of human dignity between people she became angry. When nothing changed, she grew sad.

Her sadness grew. It began to overwhelm her so that she told her colleagues it was sad to see all the things that were wrong in the world—things that should not be.

Over time, she knew how God expected her to help. Simply feeling sad over life’s injustices was useless. Instead, she understood that God intended for her to help. In a divine way, beyond her complete comprehension, she understood that these injustices were permitted to draw her closer to God—and to draw others closer to God.

In the end, God would enable good to overcome evil. But she needed to choose to help if it were to happen sooner.

In a homily years ago, I listened as a priest described hope as having two daughters, anger and courage: 1) Anger because what is, should not be; and, 2) courage because what is not, should be. I thought of the woman I knew; if you do not react to anger with courage, it is likely nothing will happen and you will grow sad. Before feeling sad again she would remember her role to act with courage. From then on, she would be the happy warrior.

More and more, as she sought to do His will, she would work and not grow