GRIEF - Marlene Custer

When I was in my sixties, I rode my bicycle from the Mississippi to the Atlantic Ocean, and on my 70th birthday, I rode 70 miles in freezing weather. I wasn’t a great athlete, but I was satisfied with my condition. Now that I am 79, my strength is substantially less, and my mental acuity and alertness are a lot less. Sometimes I find myself grieving for my loss, wishing I could do what I used to do.

I believe Jesus grieved too. At one point, He looked over Jerusalem and said, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” Matt 23:37 (NIV) It wasn’t long after that he gave his life to redeem Jerusalem and the whole world. His grief did not hamper him.

So what loss do you grieve? Your former strength? Your former spouse? Your former (fill in the blank)? When our situation changes, we often must change our goals. The most spiritually productive time of my life has been the last 20 years after I adjusted my goals. I wouldn’t trade that time for any other.

Ask God to help guide you and use your grief for productive outcomes. He can help you attain more than a better golf score. He can use you to accomplish things of eternal value that you never dreamed possible. Maybe a Sunday school teacher, small group leader, or a mentor, to name a few. However, you must seek him for direction as Christ communicated with His Father.

“Lord, help me know myself as you know me, and with your help, achieve my potential. Amen”

Sharing Christ is Marlene’s purpose and passion. Contact

This memoir is transparently told by two sisters caring for family members with Alzheimer’s. Their tales are intertwined, yet each stands alone, as they tell how God cared for them as they cared for their loved ones. It’s an inspirational story of how God brought blessings out of Alzheimer’s.