It's been awhile since my last post and you may have wondered where I have been. As many of you are aware, we have, with the Lord's great help, endured the loss of our first born son, Christian, who went Home on October 26th, 2011. It was the worst day of our lives... and the BEST DAY of his!
Thinking of where he is and knowing we will all be together again- and I believe it will be much sooner than we think- brings me a great deal of comfort. I'm so glad most of you will never know the pain of this type of loss. But I pray you will know the depth of Christ's love and the strength of His presence as I have experienced over these months in the darkest of valleys. There have been times of sweet communion with the Lord as I have filled my Heavenly cup with the tears He is saving for me, and even more tears as I see the blessings He brings out of our loss. There are many who have given their lives to the Lord, and many whose faith has been strengthened. God bless you all!
I know you are curious, but too polite to ask... yet some do. No, our son did not take his life. There was an accident of sorts. While he caused his own death, he did not mean to. We had no forewarning. When a parent loses a child, it makes little difference how it happened after the dust settles. When it all comes down to it... the fault lies entirely with satan. He roams the earth seeking whom he can destroy, and he'll begin with the nearest family who treasures Christ. No matter. He does not have my son. He is mine forever. This is just what the Bible calls, "a temporary inconvenience." Our God is a God who restores!
God is good- even when our circumstances speak otherwise. That is when it is really important to trust Him. When you lose your job or your house, when the battle with cancer is lost, when your child dies, He asks us, "Do you trust Me?" I pray you do. He is worthy. As we see now in the glass only dimly, there will be a day when all is clear. What does He need YOU to carry for the benefit of His Kingdom? As He endured the cross for us, surely, we can do these things for Him... with His help.
I could go on here with story after story of the ways God "showed up" during these difficult days. (He actually never left, but there are times where He definitely made His presence known.) Maybe I will at a later time post some of these as a testimony to His great love and faithfulness. But for now, I will refer you to a special page on my website which we have dedicated to my son. On this page you will find one of the stories- a very special one about "elephants." Welcome to, "The Christian Galiardo Memorial Library" and thank you for all your heartfelt prayers on behalf of my family. God works ALL THINGS together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes... even this.
