Loss
Loss…how do you define it? The American Heritage Dictionary defines loss as “the act or an instance of losing” and “the harm or suffering caused by losing or by being lost”.
I am writing this with a heavy heart as I reflect on the losses of my life and the fact that this week will mark the fifth anniversary of the loss of my nephew Craig whom I miss terribly along with everyone who ever came in contact with him. Hurricane Jeanne came and tore him from our lives. I think the unexpected and unexplainable losses are the hardest ones. There are no what ifs or what could I have done differently scenarios, just a hole deep inside that will only be filled on our last day.
In my life I have lost a lot. I have lost my father, my mother, my daughter, my brother, my nephew, two mothers-in law and two fathers-in-law, sister-in law, not to mention grandparents, cousins, uncles and friends. In my work I grow close to patients, many of which I lose each year. I miss each and every one, but, being a person of faith, I know I will see them again one day. I feel selfish to grieve, for I know that they are where I long to be one day, in the arms of my maker.
Then there are other losses that we see more and more each day; the loss of jobs, marriages, family relationships, homes and the like. Life is filled with various types of loss. It is all around us, we cannot escape it. But, without loss, we would not know what gain is.
By comparison, we gain by the families we have to love, by the new babies coming into our world. We celebrated the birth of Laci, Mia, Nathan and Cash into our family in the last two years alone. How wonderful is that!! We celebrate marriages, the opportunities to start over again when we find a door closed in our lives. We celebrate because we have a God who loves us no matter what and no matter how we screw things up.
It’s hard to suffer loss, but loss is a part of living. Any you know what? I would rather have had the short time I have had with those I loved and lost than not to have had any time with them at all. The happiness they bring to us during their lives is so worth the temporary void in our hearts until we meet them again, and we will. I cannot feel sorry for myself because when I see the things of this world, I see people who will never have the opportunity for the love that I have been blessed with in my life even though many have been taken away too soon.
Look at your life as one looks at a heartbeat on a monitor. It is a line with ups and downs which keep us alive. We will have good and bad. You do not want a straight line because then you have “flatlined” and this life will be gone. Bear the downs and take advantage of the ups and help others to do the same.
Feel your losses, but take ownership of the joys. We are mere fractals in a tapestry being woven by God and only He can see the beautifully finished product from His vantage point. Life is worth the ride.
Loss…how do you define it? The American Heritage Dictionary defines loss as “the act or an instance of losing” and “the harm or suffering caused by losing or by being lost”.
I am writing this with a heavy heart as I reflect on the losses of my life and the fact that this week will mark the fifth anniversary of the loss of my nephew Craig whom I miss terribly along with everyone who ever came in contact with him. Hurricane Jeanne came and tore him from our lives. I think the unexpected and unexplainable losses are the hardest ones. There are no what ifs or what could I have done differently scenarios, just a hole deep inside that will only be filled on our last day.
In my life I have lost a lot. I have lost my father, my mother, my daughter, my brother, my nephew, two mothers-in law and two fathers-in-law, sister-in law, not to mention grandparents, cousins, uncles and friends. In my work I grow close to patients, many of which I lose each year. I miss each and every one, but, being a person of faith, I know I will see them again one day. I feel selfish to grieve, for I know that they are where I long to be one day, in the arms of my maker.
Then there are other losses that we see more and more each day; the loss of jobs, marriages, family relationships, homes and the like. Life is filled with various types of loss. It is all around us, we cannot escape it. But, without loss, we would not know what gain is.
By comparison, we gain by the families we have to love, by the new babies coming into our world. We celebrated the birth of Laci, Mia, Nathan and Cash into our family in the last two years alone. How wonderful is that!! We celebrate marriages, the opportunities to start over again when we find a door closed in our lives. We celebrate because we have a God who loves us no matter what and no matter how we screw things up.
It’s hard to suffer loss, but loss is a part of living. Any you know what? I would rather have had the short time I have had with those I loved and lost than not to have had any time with them at all. The happiness they bring to us during their lives is so worth the temporary void in our hearts until we meet them again, and we will. I cannot feel sorry for myself because when I see the things of this world, I see people who will never have the opportunity for the love that I have been blessed with in my life even though many have been taken away too soon.
Look at your life as one looks at a heartbeat on a monitor. It is a line with ups and downs which keep us alive. We will have good and bad. You do not want a straight line because then you have “flatlined” and this life will be gone. Bear the downs and take advantage of the ups and help others to do the same.
Feel your losses, but take ownership of the joys. We are mere fractals in a tapestry being woven by God and only He can see the beautifully finished product from His vantage point. Life is worth the ride.
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