Exploring loss...

It seems that every day right now there’s a new death being announced of someone we may recognise. This morning I woke to learn that Diane Keaton has died, last week it was Jane Goodall and Jilly Cooper, also John Stapleton and last month Robert Redford and Ricky Hatton and the list goes on (and on….and on….).

On top of this many of us are experiencing deaths and losses in our own lives, much closer to home, saying goodbye to friends, family and colleagues.

If that’s not enough you only have to switch on the TV and every other program or movie shows murders, deaths and violence.

To cap it all off, the News is drawn to report on the immense level and quantity of violence and tragic bereavements occurring across all continents.

There truly seems little escape.

Whilst I appreciate this sounds (and is) rather bleak, a thought popped into my head earlier.

Next week I will be attending a memorial service for someone who was close to me through my life. There will be a lot of people attending and whilst I’m sure there will be lots of tears and periods of reflective silences, I also think there will be a lot of stories told, memories shared and laughter as we’re reminded of some of the more humorous events and times. Some may feel a sense of guilt when smiling or laughing, though I would like to think that a connection through both sadness and joy is equally meaningful.

Grief, Loss, Bereavement does not have to be at the expense of Happiness, Joy and Purpose. They can (and do) all co-exist with a natural rise and fall that means some moments will be sadder and others perhaps less so and this is the ebb and flow of life, which until we die can be lived with meaningful intent, great curiosity and hopefully an abundance of spirit, laughter and giving.

I am reminded every time I support someone through loss how precious life is, how fragile and also how short.

And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.-- Abraham Lincoln