Sunday, January 17, 2021

An Invitation to New Growth


The Irish poet, John O’Donohue has encouraging words for me as I negotiate this strange, rocky path ahead of me called “Life Without My Beloved.” I hope you, too, will find encouragement:


“When the mind is festering with trouble or the heart torn, we can find healing among the silence of mountains or fields, or listen to the simple, steadying rhythm of waves. The slowness and stillness gradually takes us over. Our breathing deepens and our hearts calm and our hungers relent. When serenity is restored, new perspectives open to us and difficulty can begin to seem like an invitation to new growth... Indeed, the beauty of nature is often the wisest balm for it gently relieves and releases the caged mind” — John O’Donohue.


In 2010, our family suffered the loss of a loved one with the suicide death of my son, Matthew. 
Two years before, my eldest granddaughter, Allison, died in a traffic accident. As a family, we grieved, we cried, and we came together. There is a path forward — restoration. And, yes, “when serenity is restored, new perspectives open to us and difficulty can begin to seem like an invitation to new growth.”

Matthew’s memorial gathering in 2010

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