Grief

A Tribute to a Favorite Aunt

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos
Greg and his father’s youngest sister

The angels came for her last night,
my dad’s surviving sib.
My Auntie Loie was my fav
since I was just a kid.

She made me feel like I was king.
She spoiled me for sure.
So, when I think of relatives,
my mem’ries are of her.

Her life was not a piece of cake.
Much heartache took its toll.
But Loie learned to lean upon
the Savior of her soul.

When I grew up and lost my way,
my Auntie Lo was there.
She helped me focus, gave me space
and counseled me with prayer.

I found my footing once again
with gratitude to her.
My dad’s kid sister welcomed me
just like her Jesus served.

Though Loie’s gone, her love remains.
It’s deep within my heart.
Before she left, she graced my life
with much that leaves a mark.

Peace to her memory!

P.S. Loie died as Wendy and I were celebrating our oldest daughter’s wedding in Chicago. It truly was a bittersweet day!

In addition to each week’s post on this website, Greg Asimakoupoulos offers daily video devotionals on his YouTube channel. Here is a sample video. If you are interested in receiving these devotionals Monday through Friday, you can subscribe on Greg’s channel.

Facing Our Personal Sinai

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos
There are mountains we are called to climb

There is a mountain we must climb
just like old Moses did:
meeting deadlines, greeting clients,
taking care of kids.

Nursing needs of aging parents,
battling the blues,
facing fears when cancer flaunts
a short and shrinking fuse.

Finding funds to meet the mortgage,
visiting a grave,
taking stock for starting over
while trying to be brave.

Our current Sinai looms quite large.
It beckons every day.
But climbing with companions close
will help us on the way.

In addition to each week’s post on this website, Greg Asimakoupoulos offers daily video devotionals on his YouTube channel. Here is a sample video. If you are interested in receiving these devotionals Monday through Friday, you can subscribe on Greg’s channel.

An Empty Place

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos
Facing the first Christmas without that certain someone is painful

Lord, there will be an empty place
at the Christmas table this year
and I’m not able to face it alone.

Please pass a second helping of Your grace.
I can’t seem to get enough of it these days.

The lights on the tree are all ablur
as I look through swollen eyes.
The carols catch in my throat.

Wise men and shepherds,
angels and stars,
Christmas cards, candles and gifts–
They all used to move me.
But this year I’m scarred
by wounds too fresh to heal.

And I’m scared by what I feel–
haunting memories,
good ones,
but regrets, too.
Too many tears.
Too few tissues.
Too many days in December.

And all because the one I love is dead.
And is my heart.
I’m so afraid of what still lies ahead.

Please remind me that Easter,
and all that it promises,
will soon be here.

Dear God, maybe then I can celebrate
the good tidings of Christmas
in spite of this empty chair.

A Blue Christmas Hymn

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos
For those who grieve, Christmas colors aren’t just red and green

Reds and greens blur into blues as
Christmas draws near.
Lights and music morph to black as
grief wrestles fear.
Silent night is not a carol.
Rather, it’s a constant peril
as a distant lonely sparrow
coaxes a tear.

In the darkness of depression,
day mimics night.
While my friends are celebrating,
I long for light.
Paralyzed and lacking feeling,
dizzied by my world that’s reeling,
desperate for a longed-for healing,
wrong disses right.

God in Heaven, hear my longings.
Draw near, I pray.
Free me from what holds me hostage
day after day.
In my anxious desperation,
be my safe and sure foundation.
Though I’m lost, be my salvation.
Show me the way.

tune: Ar Hyd Y Nos

A Jack of All Trades

/ Greg Asimakoupoulos
Pastor Jack Hayford died on January 8, 2023 at the age of eighty-eight

Jack Hayford was a preacher.
Just to hear him speak you’d think
you were standing in the presence of a king.
And when Jack would lead the hymns he wrote
we’d stand with upraised hands
and worship Christ the Savior as we’d sing.

Jack Hayford was an author.
Truths he’d gleaned within The Book
were planted first then watered on each page.
Jack helped us see our kinship
as the family of God
regardless of our gender or our age.

Jack Hayford was the leader
of the Foursquare Church at-large.
To the church of Aimee Semple he brought cred.
Jack helped show that Pentecostals
weren’t just feelings focused folk.
He was thoughtful in the things he wrote and read.

And Jack Hayford gave us Majesty.
I love that worship song.
In his lyrics he sees Christ upon the throne.
As His subjects we give honor
as we pay Him homage due
for the glories of His grace He has made known.  

Peace to his memory!