On my flight home from my grandmother’s funeral—the fifth of six losses this year—I pulled out my phone, opened my Notes app, and began to write. As I did, the words poured out of me. What began as a factual account of the losses I and my family have faced this year turned into an encouraging reminder that pain is never wasted, that God does indeed work all things together for good, that our loved ones live on in us long after they’re gone, and that good things can come from something as horrible as death. This is my 2023 testimony. This is grief’s gift.

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