It had been only a week since the funeral for Aunt Gail, my sister-in-law, when our family headed off to White Oak Lodge Resort in Gatlinburg for our annual winter trip to the mountains. Returning to Gatlinburg had been a difficult decision. We had not been there since the losses of my husband Gerald in 2016 and grandson Garrett in 2017.  They were such an integral part of our trips to this particular location that returning there was very difficult emotionally.

Gatlinburg, I might add, was Aunt Gail’s favorite vacation spot. She and her family visited there almost every year.

As we sat down to watch television on our first night there, my youngest son, Joe, was scrolling the TV guide. He spoke up, “Let’s watch Dr. Pimple Popper in memory of Gail.” He remembered that I had said it was one of her favorite shows. I smiled to myself. I had spent several hours watching the show with her and knew what to expect.

As they settled in to watch the show, I grabbed my phone, anxious to take pictures, for I knew how squeamish most of my family really is.

The first case was one of a cyst on a woman’s head. Sure enough, they reacted just as I expected. As Dr. Pimple Popper proceeded to remove the large mass, the facial expressions told it all!

 Shock, surprise, amazement, and disbelief overwhelmed son Joe and his wife Heather.

Laughter, on the other hand,  overtook daughter-in-law Kandee and grand-daughter Kaity.

Aunt Gail would probably react similarly, I thought to myself,  if she could see their antics from heaven. She loved a good belly laugh!

Proverbs 17:22 came to mind as I reflected on the evening. “A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” (Proverbs 17:22 NLT)

A growing awareness came that perhaps it is better to acknowledge our losses, share our feelings, do something in memory of our dear ones, and even have a good laugh or two.

Knowing Gail, I am certain she would agree. After all, she is enjoying the grandeur of heaven while we watch cysts being removed on a reality TV show. She would find that hilarious!

As our week continued, we chose to re-visit attractions that the entire family had previously enjoyed. We ended up at two places with particularly intense family memories–indoor racing at Cooter’s, an indoor race track, and riding the chairlift in downtown Gatlinburg.

While memories shrouded in grief briefly crowded into the present, we had a wonderful time racing cars at Cooter’s, snow tubing at Pigeon Forge Snow,  and riding up the mountain on the chairlift bundled up like mummies in the frigid air.

As a family, we have not yet fully ascended, but we are making progress. Praise God, he directs our steps each day to bring us a bit closer to full acceptance and peace.