Whenever we get to the holidays, there's always the chance that there will be people who are going

through a season of firsts. Those are the things that come up in life that are happening for the

first time, like having an empty spot at the dining room table for the holidays. It's really

disorienting, and we may find ourselves feeling like we'd rather not celebrate.

It's really hard to know what to do when you're going through something for the first time.

It's kind of like being in a choir with a new piece of sheet music and you don't really know how to sing the song.

Even if you're familiar with reading music, that first time is often rough.

That's what it's like when you're going through a

season of firsts because of changes in your life due to grief. Thank you for joining Keep the

Heart for today's podcast with Francie Taylor. Francie is an author,

teacher, and conference speaker. Sharing lessons from the Word of God is her passion. Now,

back to today's important study. The empty chair at the dining room table is just one of several adjustments in life when we're

trying to learn how to live without someone that we've had in our world for so long that

they're literally woven into the fabric of our soul. There are birthdays, anniversaries, even first-time

medical challenges without our beloveds.

And even if we were expecting their passing, there's an adjustment period that takes

time and takes us through a transition that is just stunning at times, and then it's tender

at others. We're going to look at three things to consider when you're going through a season of firsts,

and it's my prayer that this will help someone out there who is walking this road right now.

Number one, be extremely patient with yourself.

God is so patient with us.

Listen to a perfect description of how God sees us in Psalm 103

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