Duke Moment

There are times in our lives that grief and sadness can seem all-encompassing. However, even in the midst of seemingly unbearable grief, God will reveal His loving presence.
I like to call these moments "Duke Moments."
Here is an example, and also an excerpt from my book.
After Shawn, Mike and I took the twins to the adoptive parents home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, we drove back to Hastings, Nebraska. I was consumed by grief. The car had a somber quality about it, without the joyful noise of the twins.
We arrived back in Nebraska around 6p.m. Shawn invited me to stay at her house that night, which I eagerly accepted.
The Bramble's (Shawn's  family) had a yellow Lab named Duke, whom I absolutely adored. In my eyes, there was not a sweeter or more gentle dog than Duke.
However, when Shawn's husband Tom came home, he proceeded to tell us a story about Duke that had happened earlier that day.
I guess Duke absolutely hated the mailman, and that afternoon when the mailman was walking around their neighborhood delivering the mail, Duke saw him, and started chasing after him while ferociously barking and growling.
Tom said the mailman started sprinting backwards (so he could keep an eye on Duke), in an attempt to escape Duke's wrath.
The thought of my beloved Duke acting so vicious, and the picture in my head of the poor mailman running backwards made me laugh hysterically, which prompted Shawn to start laughing just as hard.
That is what I like to calm my "Duke Moment." In the middle of the most intense grief of my life, God revealed His loving presence to me through laughter, and not just a chuckle, but gut busting laughter.
In the center of your darkest moments, always be on the lookout for your own divinely inspired "Duke Moment," whatever form that may take.