This week I have been challenged to look at loss. Specifically, people, we have lost. And, like you, many come to mind. Some we lose to illness or tragedy. Some we lose due to life changes, and each of them creates a pain that only you know deep and often cannot describe. I could talk about the pain and the mourning that comes with loss. And this might be a raw subject for some, so if you are in pain, I extend my hand to you.
Let's face it Loss sucks! Quite honestly, no matter what the loss is or its reason. If it is self-inflicted or inflicted by people, we know or are imposed by society. It is painful, and it is ugly, but it is. Every one of us has a story about loss, pain, and grief.
This reminded me of a poem I heard years ago by - Oriah, Mountain Dreamer, Called - “The Invitation.” Here are a few lines … That resonate with me while thinking about this today.
Excerpt from “The Invitation.”
“It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain!”
“I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.”
“I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.”
“I want to know if you can see beauty even when it is not pretty every day,”
“It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.”
(I encourage you to read the whole poem at http://www.oriahmountaindreamer.com)
Each one of us also has a choice to decide who we will be despite it all. Will we let it define us, hold us captive? Or will we search to find a way to see the sun shining through the dense forest? Will we go outside and stop and smile at a child at play? Will we join in the play? Will we give our seats to someone on an overcrowded bus that cannot stand? Do we see life as full or empty? Do we give to others or take from them?
I have spent 40 years battling injustice, loss, and pain. I, too, have a choice. I have lost a lot in my life, but the questions remain. Will I look around and find the beauty in the mud, the flower that grows out of cow poop? What will I look at, the storm or the rainbow? Do you see past the water into the joy when the tears stream down your face? I have lost a lot in my life, But I must choose what I will do with that pain.
Thru my photography and other means, I actively choose to share. My photography is growing towards authentic and expressive photography. I hope that my work might help others see what I have learned to see. The beauty in a raindrop. How two different flowers share a garden. I hope that through musing, sharing, and photography, others will be filled with gratitude and joy despite their own pains.
I choose to look at what I have, what I can share, and what I can give to others more than what I have lost. Not every day is pretty, but every day the sun rises again.
I choose to see the beauty. How about you?
I cannot finish this Subject without adding one thing. I also actively choose to share my hope. As a student of the scriptures, it is clear what it says about death and life and that there is hope you can trust. If you struggle with this and want to learn more, I can send you a link to a helpful website. One of the main reasons I have joy is my hope, so the two are deeply connected.
I choose an abundance mindset!
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Project - My thoughts and Ramblings
A 52-week Introspective Writing Project - Feb 2023
Week 5: People we’ve lost
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