Of the ills that haunt humankind, grief and hardship afflict everyone. Though the storms scour the earth of each soul uniquely, how we respond to tragedies tells our stories of survival.
Tragedies are seldom too much to bear. They are inevitably transformative. If we give ourselves enough time to reflect, to mourn, and to heal, usually we will come out of it stronger, with tougher scars--that much wiser and ready to meet the future.
When grief haunts the canyons of our souls we wander,
lost in the autumn gales that scour our Being. The pale horse
of brutality closes a child's eyes, memories of a parent's death
are grey winter rains. Grief bludgeons all with unique tortures.
Within the calm of deep sorrow
and shelter of our inner light we find a majestic understanding.
Prayer and meditation help our passage thru blind valleys.
Day by day the waves of anguish will fade.
Faced with adversity we accept its iron challenge,
knowing that the wail of grief is universal.
Bravely bearing tragedy inspires seasons of reflection;
we realize what is important and what trivial,
set free to scale cragged summits.
