Through Great Grief Comes Great Faith
Author: Elizabeth Bainbridge
Editor’s note: Elizabeth made a family coat of arms for history class at her school in Maryland. She based it on her life and also used the internet to research family crests for her last name. This is a section of the paper Elizabeth wrote to go with her coat of arms.
There are many parts to my Coat of Arms.
The color blue represents truth and loyalty, for the one thing my family cannot stand is lying.
The black represents grief; my family has been through a lot of grief through our lives, but we always are resilient.
I also added charges to my Coat of Arms. Our original Coat of Arms had battle axes on it which means execution of military duty. My father was in the military since I was a baby. Also, it represents his fight against cancer.
I added candles to our Coat of Arms because candles represent light, life, and spirituality and because God is light through darkness. He has a plan for us.
For my supporters I added owls for virtue, wit and wisdom.
Finally, my motto “With great grief comes great faith”. I chose this as our motto because through all of our grief, God has led us through it, and we have come out more faithful.
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Art Project
Make Your Own!
Supplies:
- Poster board, foam board, or construction paper
- Colored pencils, markers, crayons, or paint
- Scissors
- Tape or glue
- Optional: Magazines or stickers
Instructions:
- Draw and cut out the main part of your shield (In Elizabeth’s, this is the part that is blue and black.)
- Divide your shield into four sections. Color in these sections with two or more different colors that mean something to you. (You can choose favorite colors of you or your hero or you can research the meaning of colors.)
- Design and cut out a helmet or crown and attach it to the top of your shield. Add pictures or symbols to your shield. (You can draw or paint these or you can cut images out of magazines or use stickers.)
- If you want additional features, you can add “supporters” to the side. Many coats of arms have animals as supporters.
- Add a “scroll” to the top or bottom with a motto or saying.
Have your parent take a picture of your coat of arms and send it to editor@taps.org.
We may choose yours to share with others on TAPS social media.
Note to parents: By sharing your child’s coat of arms, you are giving TAPS permission to feature it on our social media.
Related Story
Learning to Accept – and Embrace – Uncertainty
Maggie Bainbridge has always loved having a plan for everything. But then, her husband died. Having strong Faith has helped her through uncertain times.
Elizabeth Bainbridge is the Surviving Daughter of Army Maj. William J. Bainbridge IV