loss

Finding Light in Grief: Poetry and Personal Reflections

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In Episode 143, we delve into the profound experience of grief through a deeply personal story. A good friend faced the unexpected loss of his beloved dog, discovering him lifeless in the yard alongside a coral snake. This heartbreaking moment serves as a powerful reminder of how quickly life can change, leaving us overwhelmed with sorrow.

Join us as we explore the complexities of grieving, illustrated by the poignant words of poets like Emily Dickinson and e.e. cummings. We discuss how grief can feel like a raging tornado, turning our world upside down and bringing a pain that is difficult to understand or articulate. Yet, amid this turmoil, we find that the journey of healing involves more than just letting go. It’s about cherishing the memories that bring us joy and ultimately moving forward.

Through this episode, we hope to inspire listeners to embrace their memories and understand that healing is possible. Just as my friend will find solace in new beginnings with a future dog, we too can carry our loved ones in our hearts, allowing their memory to fuel our desire to embrace life’s goodness.

Once A Great Love ~ A Poem by Yehuda Amichai

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Once A Great Love 

Yehuda Amichai

Once a great love cut my life in two.
The first part goes on twisting
at some other place like a snake cut in two.

The passing years have calmed me
and brought healing to my heart and rest to my eyes.

And I’m like someone standing in the Judean desert, looking at a sign:
“Sea Level”
He cannot see the sea, but he knows.

Thus I remember your face everywhere
at your “face Level.”

Source

Thinking Out Loud: Looking Forward to the Next Chapter

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Boris Pasternack’s  work, Dr. Zhivago.

“Farewell, my great one, my own, farewell, my pride, farewell, my swift, deep, dear river, how I loved your daylong splashing, how I loved to plunge into your cold waves.”

Note: Life for us is a long series of letting go. We let go of childhood to enter adolescence. We let go of adolescence to enter adulthood. During our adult journey we may let go of good health. We may lose a partner to death. Each time we let go we experience the pain of separation. We’re never really healed from the separations, each separation leaves a scar. Some of my scars are more visible than others, but I carry them as you  do yours. With each separation there is a time of mourning. If we’re healthy, we begin to look forward to the next chapter with hope-filled expectations. Then we get on with life and leave what was lost behind.     

Poem for Today ~ Loss and Gain

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Loss and Gain

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

When I compare
What I have lost with what I have gained,
What I have missed with what attained,
Little room do I find for pride.

I am aware
How many days have been idly spent;
How like an arrow the good intent
Has fallen short or been turned aside.

But who shall dare
To measure loss and gain in this wise?
Defeat may be victory in disguise;
The lowest ebb is the turn of the tide.

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Positive Thought for the Day ~ You are Not Alone

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“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle,

known loss, and have found their way out of those depths.” ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

 

NOTE: You are not alone in your struggles, in the pain you are experiencing, in the great loss in your life. People throughout the world share the same experience and understand what you are experiencing because they share it with you. Life calls you to live, to transform your pain into something special. Make something good come from it. You can do it.

 

What have you lost that’s made you stronger?

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What have you lost that’s made you stronger? Early in my career I took on an organization I felt was purposely biased against blacks. I tried to implement changes and was told I was dangerous and fired. It was tough being fired with five young children to support. It made me stronger, more resilient and more deeply committed to social justice. Use losses to make you stronger and more resilient. Don’t let the dark forces win.

Think About It

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One doesn’t have to be angry to be strong. One doesn’t haven’t to fear being kind and gentle is a sign of weakness. We’re strong when we face our troubles head on in spite of fears. We’re strong when we stand up and speak the truth as we know it even when we stand alone. We’re strong when we weep with another over a loss. We’re strong when we wrap our arms around our brothers and sisters who are suffering. 

Today’s Poem ~ Loss and Gain

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Loss And Gain
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Virtue runs before the muse
And defies her skill,
She is rapt, and doth refuse
To wait a painter’s will.

Star-adoring, occupied,
Virtue cannot bend her,
Just to please a poet’s pride,
To parade her splendor.

The bard must be with good intent
No more his, but hers,
Throw away his pen and paint,
Kneel with worshippers.

Then, perchance, a sunny ray
From the heaven of fire,
His lost tools may over-pay,
And better his desire.

What If . . .

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What if I didn’t have my morning cup of coffee? Man, my day would be amiss. I take my morning cup of coffee for granted, much like I take the sun rising or setting. It’s that way with life. The things and people we love we often take for granted, as if they’d always be there. When we find out they’re not there our emotions range from disappointment to deep grieving. When I look at it this way, my heart has to overflow with gratitude for the things and people I love. It makes sense to appreciate the things and people I love each moment of my life.

What If . . .

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What if you lost what you treasure most, what would you do? When we face a great loss, we may wonder if we have the strength to go on. We have no choice but to get up and walk into the unknown trying to make sense of what happened and where we are going. It’s not easy. It takes courage. It takes a deep abiding faith that if one keeps walking everything will work out. Keep on walking, head held high. Keep on walking.

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