Nate’s been gone for 3 years. Elements of grieving linger in our family, and we all think about him daily, sometimes hourly. Once in a while I still have a minute-to-minute day when he’s in my thoughts constantly.

The holidays when we’re all together except him can trigger renewed grief, but this year Nate “appeared” during our family Christmas celebration by putting a gift for each of his children under the Christmas tree. Not directly, of course, but through me.

I’d kept all of Nate’s neckties except those having to do with the holidays. (The Ties That Bind) Those went to his office mates, since they’d loved teasing him every December when he wore a different Christmas tie each day. But the others (60 or so) hung in my closet, a potent reminder that he was gone.

Maybe the sight of them should have cheered me, but during the 3 years since he died, they’ve produced only sadness. So last year I hung them in the back of the closet where I wouldn’t see them at all, which remedied my immediate problem but wasn’t a permanent solution. I contemplated giving them to Good Will, but that didn’t seem right either.

Nate loved ties and had over 100 of them. He enjoyed the selection process each morning and wore them all, even the ones that had dots of salad dressing or other stains. The truth was that I loved his ties, too, each one a mini-friend. I really wanted to keep them “in the family.”

So, at the beginning of this year, I asked God for an idea. What could I do with the ties that would be meaningful to my family without being a sad reminder of Nate’s absence? As always, the Lord had a great idea. He reminded me of a friend of a friend who sews for a living. Could she do something with Nate’s ties that would transform yet preserve them?

After a few emails back and forth, she and I settled on 16” throw-pillows made from the ties, so I mailed them all to her and hoped for the best. When the finished pillow covers arrived in early December, I knew God’s idea had been the perfect solution. Each pillow was unique and beautiful, and the ties were no longer unused and sad, hanging in my closet.

As I wrapped the pillows in Christmas paper, I worried our children might feel funny about seeing all those familiar ties cut into pieces, but they loved their pillows and quickly identified their favorite ties.

Our God is utterly faithful in all categories. When he invites us to pray, he intends to answer. And he always, always follows through, even if it’s just with an idea for what to do with a husband’s ties.

“My God will meet all your needs.” (Philippians 4:19)