Coloring With Broken Crayons

On April 5, 2020, my brother lost his amazing wife. One minute she was laughing, the next minute she was gone leaving behind an eight year old daughter and a two and half weeks old baby girl. This is not about our devastating loss. I wrote articles and countless social media posts as we went through the five stages of grief - denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. This is about our resilience and trust in the Almighty.

I grew up in a home filled with laughter. We are blessed with an incredible sense of humor. Each sibling is funnier than the next and we are good at entertaining ourselves. I always took it for granted. I now know that it is a huge blessing. It is easy to be merry when things are going great, but how do you react when things are not so great? For us, we never stopped finding a reason to laugh. To celebrate. To love.

 “We laugh to survive. Then, with joy we thrive.” ~  Mary Anne Radmacher

Laughter saved us! Some people around us did not understand that, for us, humor is a great escape that helped us deal with the pain. We were expected to mourn a certain way. To don sack cloths and ashes. They did not understand that we were raised in a faith filled home. That we are joy-filled regardless of the circumstances. That we laugh through the tears because we believe that joy comes in the morning. That joy is healing.

We continue to grieve as people who have hope. We are thankful for her life and the gift of two beautiful girls. We are overcoming the unexpected. We are reminded that broken crayons still color. It does not color quite the same way, but it still works.

“We can only know how strong we are when we strive and thrive beyond the challenges we face.” ~ Kemi Sogunle

 If you are going through a rough patch, know that it is not the end of your world. There is nothing you cannot get through. With support from family and friends. With a sense of humor. With God. First you survive. Then, you thrive. It is your birthright.

Iruka A. Ndubuizu is the Executive Director of Eureka Consulting, LLC. Click here for contact info.