“Grief can destroy you, and grief can magnify you. You can decide a relationship was all for nothing if it had to end in death, OR you can realize that every moment of it had more meaning than you dared to recognize at the time; so much meaning it scared you — scared you so much that you just went through the motions of Caring; that you just took for granted the love and laughter you shared together; that you just didn’t allow yourself to consider the sacredness of your Connection with the departed.

And yet, when your friend or lover or partner or family member dies — when it’s over and you’re alone without them, you can also begin to see that it wasn’t just talking together or watching sunsets together or washing dishes together or playing games together or taking walks together; that it wasn’t just celebrating life’s successes together or being concerned together over life’s tough times.

No — if you pause long enough to step back from your sadness, you will see that it was everything; that your Connection with them was the very WHY of life; every event and every precious moment of it.

You realize in this moment that the answer to the very mystery of your existence is the Love you shared with them (though sometimes imperfectly), and when you allow your loss to awaken you to the deeper Beauty of it all — to the sanctity of Life and the Joy of Living, you can’t help but let out a deep sigh; you can’t help but have a huge smile on your face as an amazing wave of Peace wells up from within you. And you are driven to your knees, not by the weight of your loss, but by a deep & gentle Gratitude for the times that preceded it …

… and you are inspired to stand up and go forth to honor that greatest of Gifts …

… by renewing & cherishing the relationships you still have left.” ~ inspired by Dean Koontz

Filed under: Wisdoms from the Journey by Scaughdt