Welcome to this week's episode of Solace: Soul+ Grief . I'm Candee Lucas . We're glad you're here . This podcast is sponsored by Catholic Cemeteries and the Diocese of San Jose .
The death of a loved one is a very difficult life transition and we hope we can answer some of your questions , help you find where God is moving in your life as you continue your grief journey , and remind you of the power of your faith and love for God . You're always welcome in our circle of healing , love and care .
There are many lessons we learn as we grow in God , grow in our faith and continue our grief journeys . We remember those who are gone , their place in our lives and the gifts they gave us .
Today I want to talk about a prayer gift my grandmother gave me long , long ago , before I knew what it meant , before I knew God , before I knew that He knew me , and that just came upon me this profound memory during Lent . There are many lessons we learn as we grow in God , grow in our faith and continue our grief journeys .
We remember those who are gone , their place in our lives and the gifts they gave us . Before I knew what it meant , before I knew God , before I knew that he knew me and that just came upon me , this profound memory . I was trying to remember the other day what the first prayer I learned was .
I was not raised Catholic but converted later in life and had a spotty relationship with various faiths Presbyterian , Baptist , Methodist . Nothing really stuck with me and then I remembered my grandmother . My mother's mother was the one person in the family who seemed to have a relationship with God .
As I look back on it now , she was a Methodist and walked to the nearby church on Sundays . Sometimes she took us with her . But I don't remember much about that experience other than that she wore a hat and gloves to church .
But when she died in 1999 , there was no doubt in my mind which hymn we should play at her funeral services because it was her favorite --In the garden-- and I thought of those words and I learned that song and I used to sing it with her and with my mother because she liked to harmonize on that song and most of you know it . It goes .
"I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses and the voice I hear calling in my ear the son of God discloses and he walks with me and he talks with me and he tells me I am his own and the joy we share . And he talks with me and he tells me I am his own and the joy we share as we tarry there , none other has ever known .
I don't know how young I was when I learned that song , but because my grandmother was an avid gardener , that song seems so appropriate . She spent hours and hours in her greenhouse coaxing plants into verdant growth and although that was always her quiet time , you didn't disturb her while she was in her greenhouse .
I imagine now that was her time with God and she had illustrated for me , without even thinking , how to spend time with God .
And the song itself-- I Come to the Garden Alone-- carries that significance of going there with some deliberation , going there without companion , without a companion other than God , and that the determination is to meet him there and walk with him and talk with him . And what is his message ? As I stop to think of it now , he tells me I am his own .
He tells me I am his own . This little song was such a profound message . So I think this was her greatest gift to me , although there are so many , being the first grandchild , I was her golden one and she always made me feel this way and I think through this song , she was letting me know that God felt that way too .
I sang it without really thinking about the words , without really thinking about what it meant to her or to me or to my mother who joined in harmony . But it's so right , for today I am his own , he walks with me , he talks with me . All those things are true right now , and the miracle is that it was true then , the very first time she sang it .
True then , truer now . Thanks , Deed . That concludes another episode of Solace . A new one drops every Friday . Please subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Amazon , or find us on Google . I'm Candee Lucas , your host , Aftercare Coordinator , Chaplain and Spiritual Director at Catholic Cemeteries at Gate of Heaven in Los Altos , California .
Please contact us if you have questions or seek spiritual direction . Our contact information is in the show notes . Be gentle with yourselves . Travel with God . Vaya con Dios .