Reflections of Hope

When Max died, a friend gave me a book called "Healing After Loss" by Martha Hickman.  It is made up of daily meditations for working through grief.  I didn't pick it up for a full year but when I finally did, I felt I was reading the words of people who knew esxactaly what I was going through.  It amazes me how often I read a daily meditation and it perfectly matches my feelings on that day. 
Here is what I read on January 13 -
"I think these difficult times have helped me to understand better than before how ifinitely rich and beautful life is in every way and that so many things that one goes around worrying about are of no importance at all."  - Isak Dinesen
It is a costly wisdom, and God knows we would not have asked for it.  But it is also true that coming through a great sorrow can make us stronger, teach us what is really important.  But to survive the death of a loved one is no guarantee of greater wisdom.  We can also become embittered, reclusive, grasping.  That's when we need friends, communities of faith, even professional help.  But if we can weather the storm, we will have a better sense of who we are and what we want most in life.  And we will learn to savor and cherish cool water, sunshine and wind, the smell of roses -- and the love and friendship we have now. 
I will take time to notice the gifts life gives me and be thankful.