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Fri 11/3
Story
How Her Granddaughter Taught Her to See the Beauty in Dark Times
Based on a story by Dawn Kirby
Dawn was driving on a winter’s day to see her sister, Mandi, a 34-year-old mother of two who had been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. With Dawn was her granddaughter Jocelyn.
As she drove, Dawn couldn’t help but notice the bare trees and brown grass, which seemed to fit her mood and Mandi’s condition. But from her car seat, Jocelyn had a very different view.
“I see a pretty blue sky,” Jocelyn said. “And the yellow sun. And the chocolate trees!”
“Chocolate trees?”
“Yes,” Jocelyn said, surprised Dawn didn’t understand what she meant. “When the trees don’t have leaves on them, they look like chocolate.”
Dawn chuckled, but then she realized that there was truth to it. The trees did have a deep brown color, like dark chocolate. And when she thought about them that way, they no longer looked so sad and hopeless.
When they arrived at Mandi’s, Dawn shared the story about the chocolate trees.
“I love that!” said Mandi. “Some people see something bare and ugly out there, but our Jocelyn sees chocolate trees. We should all be like that, shouldn’t we?”
A few months later, while Dawn was driving her sister home from her chemotherapy treatment, Mandi fell asleep in the passenger seat. Snow started to fall and Dawn grew concerned about slick roads and getting Mandi safely inside when they arrived at her home.
Before long, Mandi awoke. “Awww, look” she said softly. “God put marshmallow cream on Jocelyn’s chocolate trees.”
Dawn realized she hadn’t even tried to look for the beauty in the snowfall; she marveled at Mandi’s ability to find joy in the darkest of times. Mandi had said we should all be like Jocelyn, and she was actually doing it. What had been a cute story for Dawn had become a life philosophy for Mandi.
Mandi passed away the following April. Dawn takes comfort in realizing that in heaven, her sister no longer has to look hard to find beauty around her. For her part, Dawn asks God to help her be more like Mandi, to find joy in the dark times, and never miss a chocolate tree.
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—Psalm 27:1
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
NIV
Reflect
What will you remember the next time you face a period of darkness in your life?
Dark times give me the chance to prioritize what’s most important in my life.
I can lean on God for help to see the light.
In the long run, my perspective can be changed for the better.
May God’s love encourage and guide your steps today. We’ll see you again soon!
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