October Newsletter

My dear Friends,

As Spring transitions into Summer, once again we are encouraged by the warmth of the sun to open our frozen hearts to the possibilities of hope.

There is an ancient fable about an argument between the sun and the wind.  They had often quarreled about who was the most powerful.  Finally, the sun persuaded the wind to a challenge.

illustration by ~anaffonseca

“There is a man walking on the road with a cloak about his shoulders,” the sun offered.  “Whichever of us can first cause him to remove his cloak will be proven the most powerful.”

The arrogant wind rose to the occasion. “I, of course, am stronger than you, so I will easily remove the man’s cloak.”

As the wind began to blow, the man clutched his garment around his shoulders.  Then the wind blew more fiercely and the man drew his cloak ever more tightly around himself.  At last, the angry wind attacked the poor man till he was nearly blown off the road, but the man resisted by doggedly protecting himself even more firmly with his guardian cloak.

Finally, in disgust, the wind admitted his failure, but he mockingly challenged the sun (whom he believed to be impotent and weak) to produce any results, either.

Gradually and ever-so gently, the sun began to shine down on the man as he trod along the path.

Soon, the warm rays of the sun began to invade his bones, and in a short time, the man released his tight grip on the cloak.  In just a few minutes, the cloak was open, welcoming the sun’s gentle and gracious presence.  Finally, the man removed the cloak completely and spread it on the grass next to the path, as he lay down to rest and bask in the pleasant warmth.

Light and warmth and gentleness will always vanquish ferocity and aggression if only we have the patience and tenacity to hang on!

Grief has been our fierce wind, but the gentle, pleasant sun rays can warm and comfort the most resistant heart.

Look now at the flowers, the grass, the blueness of the sky, the white, fluffy clouds and see HOPE. Smell the freshness of new life and be reminded that nothing is really lost – only changed for awhile.  Warmth and chill may often trade places in the dance of life, but HOPE will always call the steps.

For those whose pain is fresh and raw, it’s hard to imagine there will ever be a better time, but the testimony of veteran grievers can be an encouragement.  Like the hard and frozen ground of winter, suffering softens with the gentle rain and sunshine of spring – not necessarily on the time-line of the actual seasons, but with gradual healing.

Those who have crawled through the broken glass of grief bear witness to the truth that the excruciating journey is eventually through as the shards diminish and even disappear.  We are left with our scars, but the initial pain no longer has power over our lives.

The ‘summer’ of grief can become a mellowing and growing time if we allow hope to prevail in our hearts.  Our experience teaches us to widen our horizons, and we learn to let compassion billow around us like chiffon in a gentle breeze.

It is in summer that we see the results of our late-winter and early spring planting and investing of emotional efforts.

Grief is hard work, but when we have attended to the tasks it requires, ‘summer-grief’ can give us a time of rest and renewal.  Like the seasons, we know that our pain may come around again and again, but each time we are encouraged by experience that has proven we need never give up.  Often, a new perspective lies right around the next rainbow.

Continually we learn, we grow, our souls are weathered and we become stronger and more resilient as we forever follow on the trails of hope.    

By Andrea Gambill, Colorado Spring, Colorado (Bereavement Magazine May / June 1994)