In my simplistic faith I like to think this
image is how God sees us – the roots being before birth, the trunk our life
span and the unclothed branches our spiritual afterlife.
Death of a loved one is traumatic and we each take an
individual personal journey of mourning and grief. One never does ‘get over it’ but we learn to
live ‘with it’ which entails a new ‘normal’ having finally ‘let go’ of whom we
have lost.
In my many years as a bereavement counsellor I have had the privilege
of sharing in many a grief process.
Indeed, I have made that journey too myself, many, many times. It never gets any easier, even with strong
faith, celebrating a life, having good memories and placing them in heaven
where I believe we will all meet again one day.
Grief, like autumn, is a process that cannot be avoided. Like trees we have to Let Go and Let God, it
is the order of things He has ordained.
Though we don’t always acknowledge or see it, we DO grow through each
dark season. My dear Aunt, who recently
met our God, said it was 5 years before she noticed the spring buds of green
leaves on the trees after she lost her husband.
It takes time to heal and there is no one and right way or length of
time. God carries us through and puts us
down when the process is done.
May your autumn and winter seasons be a gentle time of
reflection and a warming of your soul.