Love, Loss, and Showing Up: Reflections from the Road to Texas

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about love and loss. How they’re often two sides of the same coin.

And how showing up for each other—really showing up—can make all the difference, even when we're far away.

Grief has a way of softening the heart, doesn’t it? It invites reflection and brings into focus what truly matters.

I’m heading to Texas for the funeral of a family member who passed away from cancer. These past few weeks have been tender—filled with memories, prayers, and a quiet ache that comes with losing someone you love and feeling the pain of those who are closest to them.

Sometimes, when someone we care about is hurting and we can’t be physically present, it’s easy to feel helpless.

But I’ve been reminded that love finds a way.

Distance doesn’t have to mean disconnection. A short phone call. A text that says, “I’m thinking of you and praying for you.” Arranging a meal delivery or sending a small gift. These seemingly simple gestures carry so much weight. 

They say, “You’re not alone.”

And then there’s the quiet work of listening to the Spirit—of following those nudges that guide us to reach out in just the right way at just the right time. Sometimes it's asking our loved one, “What would be helpful right now?” Sometimes it's not even asking—just acting in love.

I’ve also been holding close a lesson I learned a long time ago: we never really know how much time we have with the people we love.

Life has a way of surprising us—sometimes beautifully, sometimes painfully. That’s why it matters so much to speak our love now. To show it, regularly, intentionally, in the ways that mean something to them.

Love can be a grand gesture, but it’s just as often found in the everyday—the extra-long hug goodbye, the handwritten note, the shared laughter over a silly memory. These are the things that stay with us. These are the ways we live without regret.

So if someone’s on your heart today, don’t wait. Let them know. 

Call. Text. Drop something off. Pray for them and tell them you’re doing it.

Listen for the gentle whisper of how you can be there—not perfectly, just presently.

As I make my way to Texas, I carry both grief and gratitude: grief for the loss, and gratitude for the love that remains. In the end, it’s love that carries us through. Love that binds us together across time and distance.

Love that never goes to waste.

Let’s keep finding ways to show up for each other.

We never know how much it might mean.

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