Someone near to my heart passed away suddenly. The flood of emotions that bring sadness and tears also brings thoughts of joy remembering the blessings of the time we shared together. The more we love, the more we feel their loss.
The shortest day of the year is the Winter Solstice when there is more dark than light in each day. Seasons of change come and go. Life is birthed into daylight and death brings on the dark. The cycles of these events allows us to feel both pleasure and pain; the yin and yang of our humanity. When life seems to push all the negatives your way, it's hard to hope. Time will pass, seasons will change, and hope will be restored. At times like these we must search for the blessings that are left behind in the legacy of the one we've lost. Photos that remind us of the good times. A song shared together, a cherished Christmas ornament, or a homemade holiday wreath will have more meaning as it reminds us of our loss this holiday. Even though our hearts ache we can remember that loss did not happen without the connection and love that preceded it. I heard Shakespeare wrote, "It is better to have loved and lost than to never loved at all." I agree.
When hope is hard - love remains.