Thursday, July 26, 2012

Healing among tragedy

In my professional life, I am usually meeting someone at one of the worst moments of their life.  I know, sounds like a happy job.

And then when I get home, Billy starts talking about his job.

And then I turn on the news, and there is heartache.

It is all around us.  Our family, our friends, our neighbors, our community.  Sometimes the people in our personal worlds are suffering, and we have no idea.

I used to search for meaning.  I’m not sure there is any meaning to this heartache.

Sometimes I have to shut it out because I simply can’t hear or see any more of it.

Still, we move forward.

And we heal.

Please don’t mistake this for closure.  In my opinion, closure doesn’t exist.  Some wounds are too deep to forget. 

Healing is a process.  One that we may always go through.  We can choose to go through it with hope. 

Some of us hold onto hope.  Some of us hold on so tightly, we are afraid of crushing it. 

Hope can’t be crushed.  Sometimes it may feel like a crack of light under a door, but it remains.

When we are healing, we need hope.  Hope that the grip of pain will be lessened, will be released. 

And then it starts.  This day wasn’t as bad as the last.  Every day we get a little stronger.  That’s what my mom told me after I had Lucy and was a new mom, sleep deprived, half crazy from parenting advice from books, relatives and strangers.  I repeated it daily. 

Again, I like repetition. 

I don’t think it just applies to new moms.  I think it is universal advice to healing.  I’ve dispensed this valuable nugget to friends.  For the sake of repetition….

Every day we get a little stronger.  And the healing begins.




And we'll walk down the avenue in style

And we'll walk down the avenue and we'll smile

And we'll say baby ain't it all worthwhile

When the healing has begun


And the healing has begun-Van Morrison

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