SEPTEMBER 5TH, 1932

SEPTEMBER 5TH, 1932

^[p. 208] MY DEAR —, — ... Mr. Stoney used to tell us that bereavement is the greatest of all sorrows because it is irreparable, but for this very reason it is the greatest opportunity to learn the heart of Christ in all its power of sympathy, and in its ability to bear the spirit above all the pressure that is here.

There is a peculiar loss when a parent is taken from us, however naturally inevitable it may be, and in your case your long association with your dear father in the business, and his constantly available help and counsel, will leave a special sense of deprivation. If one were to speak merely naturally this would mean that you will be cast very much more on your own resources. But speaking according to piety, and this is how you will regard things I know, it means that you will be much more cast upon the Lord as your Resource. To a heart that loves Him this is real gain, for it intensifies in the soul the desire to cleave more closely than ever to Him, and greater nearness to Him means more joy, as well as deepened peace and increased power. May the new chapter of your history which thus definitely opens be the best chapter, as enriching you with a fuller and sweeter knowledge of Christ and of God than you have ever had before! ...

Yours very affectionately,

September 5th, 1932.