Life is full of loss and change. One might go so far as to say that is a good definition of life; however if we dwell on only the loss we will never see the beauty of all that we have gained. When I was younger I went through a lot of loss of friends and family. At first I grasped at the despair of all the things I would never see or do with those people, then it dawned on me that I was looking at it all wrong. Instead of spending all my time wallowing in pity for what would never be I was missing the point of all the beauty of the time I was given with them. To sit and grieve for them back to me became a sin. They had lived their life, suffered their pains and moved on to something potentially much greater. Would I really wish them back to this life to suffer the pain of death all over again? I found this to be true of both people and animals. I also have come to realize that although no one can ever take the place of someone we love in our hearts, that our hearts are capable of infinite love and that when we lose someone from our lives, the universe and God put someone else in our paths to help ease that loss. We may not realize it at the time because we are mourning and grieving our life, but it's all about change. Life evolves with our without our permission. I could give countless examples of this. I miss so many people, most of whom visit with me in my dreams from time to time. Yes life is all about loss and change and most definitely growth and wisdom and I hope with each passing year I am growing more wise and stronger in my faith and beliefs. I know my parents are not far from leaving me here behind in this life. I dread that day, but they have given me so many memories, so much devotion and love. They have shown me that life can be beautiful and that love does exists even triumph through conflict. So when they come to pass I hope I will be strong enough to move forward. I hope I will lean on my friends and embrace the beauty of the life that was and the times that were shared. Yes life is full of loss and change, but in the end isn't it a beautiful thing?
