I flipped the calendar a couple of days early…

August is a month I would rather just keep flipping past.

The page in July is already the heaviest one I turn all year. And I didn’t want to see August, the month we lost Annie. Never has time moved so slowly. And yet, when I see the year 2026, I wonder how three years could have gone by?

The calendar in my room is one I buy from my nephew every year. It’s filled with his amazing photography! The majestic mountains of Washington that he captures on his camping, hiking, and climbing excursions.

So today I lifted that heavy page with a heavy heart.

And there it was:

The tops of a mountain range, breaking through the clouds. A sunrise on the horizon.

I stopped. I stared at that beautiful cloud formation.

And I heard these words:

Cheri, I do not want you to be uninformed about Annie, who sleeps in death. And I don’t want you grieving like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.

Remember Jesus died and rose again, so believe that I will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

According to MY word, I tell you that those who are still alive, who are left until MY coming, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.

I, myself, will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with MY trumpet call, and Annie and the others who are dead in Christ will rise first.

After that, those who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet ME in the air. And your family will be with ME forever.

Please encourage one another with these words.

— 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (Personalized)

Thank You, God, for helping me hear Your promise above my pain today.

All month long, every time I look at this photo, I will be reminded of these words.

It reminds me of a question I used to ask when I hosted my podcast, Your Spiritual Game Plan:

“Looking back on your life, how far back can you go to see the very purpose you are living out today — in who you have always been?”

Looking back and seeing God’s intentional imprint on your life and the path He has been forging ahead of you is something I am continuing to do since losing Annie.

Only now, I’ve changed the question.

I’m not podcasting at the moment. But looking back for God’s imprint is even more comforting to me now.

I take hold of Deuteronomy 31:8, and I am even more intentional about looking back to see all the ways the Lord Himself has gone before me my whole life.

The people He placed in my life, in our family’s life, and in Annie’s life, who have come back into our lives and become a huge comfort.

• People who have been there all along, who are the rocks we stand on.
• Situations He so clearly set up for such a time as this.
• With that in mind, my nephew taking that photo, and of all the months, he chose to place it in August.

And here is what I didn’t notice at first.

The mountain has a name. It’s called Vesper Peak.

My nephew titled the photo “Vesper Peak Above the Clouds.”

Vesper means an evening prayer.

An evening prayer… above the clouds… waiting for me on the very month I dread.

God knew that when I lifted the page to the month I dread, my heart would see more than a date — more than August 11, the day Annie went to the hospital, and the 24th, the day she passed.

• I would see hope. I would see my future.
• And I would hear His voice, reminding me that He too can’t wait for our family to be whole.
• I would have a prayer to carry me through this month.

These are what I call Gifts In Grief.

Moments when — if you are looking — you will see Him or hear Him, already gone before you.

And you can rest, knowing He is still “going before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Where Has He Gone Before You?

Have you ever been handed a Gift in Grief, a moment you could see God had already gone before you?

I would love to hear about it. Just reply and tell me how He met you in a moment you were dreading.

Your story may be the very encouragement my heart needs too.

PC: Elliot Fletcher