An Affirmation for Those Who Have Lost

An Affirmation for Those Who Have Lost

 I believe there is no denying it: It hurts to lose.
It hurts to lose a cherished relationship with another,
or a significant part of one's own self.
It can hurt to lose that which has anchored you with the past,
or that which has beckoned one into the future.
It is painful to feel diminished or cut off or abandoned,
to be left behind or left alone.
Yet I believe there is more to losing than just the hurt and the pain.
For there are other experiences that loss can call forth.
I believe courage often appears, however quietly it is expressed,

However easily it goes unnoticed by others;

The courage to be strong enough to surrender,

The fortitude to be firm enough to be flexible,

The bravery to go where you have not gone before.

I believe a time of loss can be a time of learning unlike any other,
And that it can teach some of life's most valuable lessons.
In act of losing there is something to be found.
In the act of letting go, there is something to be grasped.
In the act of saying "goodbye" there is a "hello" to be heard.
For I believe living with loss is about beginnings as well as endings.
And grieving is a matter of life more than death.
And growing is a matter of mind and heart and soul more than of body.
And loving is a matter of eternity more than of time.
I believe in the promising paradoxes of loss:
In the midst of darkness, there can come great Light.
In the middle of despair, there can appear a great Hope.
And deep within loneliness, there can dwell a great Love.
I believe these things because others have shown the way-
Others who have lost and then have then grown through their losing,
Others who have suffered, and through their suffering found new meaning.
Finally, I believe whoever we are, whatever has happened to us, we are not alone.

We are accompanied both day after day,

We are held, night after night,

We are connected, both here and in eternity.


(originally written and posted in 2011)