Living With Loss
I organized a large event for family and friends in Ark City last weekend, and it didn't happen. My aunt became ill, and then a church member died suddenly. It happens.
Plans change.
People get sick.
Loved ones die.
Loss is part of life.
And it stinks.
At the memorial service on Saturday afternoon, the pastor gave an analogy for death and loss.
"When a ship sails out of the harbor, we that stand on the dock watch until it slips over the horizon and we say it is gone. But as it slips over the horizon, the people waiting on the other side of the ocean see the ship appear and say it is coming."
No matter how many times you suffer loss, it doesn't get easier. It doesn't "get better" over time. There's not a magic time limit for grief. I didn't wake up one day and feel normal. But it did become less painful, simply by learning to let it in and live with me.
I carry the memory of my loved ones with me, and it has made me the person I am now. Perhaps I am more cynical, but I'm also more caring, forgiving and open.
The most important way to handle loss is to LIVE with it.
***
Notable Quote:
"The loss of a friend is like that of a limb, time may heal the anguish of the wound, but the loss cannot be repaired."--Thomas De Witt Talmage
Comments