Last week, several of us gathered around a piano at the beautiful Cornerstone of Hope facility where adults and children came to create Christmas ornaments in memory of a loved one lost in this past year. Cornerstone of Hope is an outstanding organization founded by Mark and Christi Tripodi – a couple who lost a beloved 3-year-old son in 2000 and now honor his life by helping others who grieve. Ancient Path was invited to provide live music for this annual event by Cornerstone’s Program/Education Director, Julia Ellifritt. Julia, a Licensed Independent Social Worker, is also one of the founding members of Ancient Path. She has traveled internationally as a volunteer and served faithfully on our Board of Directors since it’s inception in 1998.
On this cold winter’s night, the two organizations partner together to bring hope and beauty to broken hearts, lives and families. We were not there to perform, but simply to fill the air with the strains of favorite carols, as adults and children hummed along, seated at tables filled with art supplies and craft materials.
If you didn’t know what was happening in the room, you would think it was just a very well organized event where 200 hundred people drifted in and out, eating Christmas cookies, drinking coffee, and decorating ornaments. But if you paid attention you could feel the thick grief in the room, the tears caught in the throat, the pain in the heart.
A mother and teen daughter hug tightly, swiping at the tears that roll down their faces. A man chokes back his tears throughout the evening, until a favorite carol triggers memory – and those stifled tears become unrestrained sobs. The eyes of little children light up briefly at the strains of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer or Jingle Bells -but in many there is an overarching sadness that ages them, making them look much older than they are.
My daughter is one of those. Seated at a table, she makes 6 ornaments representing those family members we have lost since last Christmas Eve. She holds up a gingerbread man ornament created for her grampa – because they always baked and cooked together. And the sparkly ornament for her Texas mamaw because she loved “bling”. Later Hana tells me that she found comfort in that room full of strangers and fellowship in shared tears.
It was a bittersweet evening – a joy to be together, making music but painful to watch such tangible grief. It was also an honor to partner with Cornerstone in this small way to make their evening both beautiful and meaningful. And to witness what we know to be true:
God is close to the brokenhearted
