Someone has well said, “Sorrow is the greatest school room on earth.” Is this perhaps why Peter Ainslie wrote, “They tell me I must bruise The rose’s leaf Ere I can keep and use its fragrance brief. They tell me love must bleed, And friendship weep, Ere in my deepest need I touch that deep. So often I hear from a heart that is groaning, how can I go on? How may I endure? So great are our struggles in life yet it seems that when trauma comes that rocks the center of our universe we find ourselves on unstable ground wondering if even we may go on.
If we attempt to swallow the entirety of our loss in one gulp it may be completely overwhelming. Learning to live and begin again can be a daunting task when we have learned to rely upon and believe in the permanency of someone or something. Truly our life and everything and everyone in it is transient. Our body for example is subject to disease, decay, and decline. We also will experience hunger, disappointment, frustration, and disillusionment in our lifetime on multiple occasions.
I know a physician who has a unique philosophy on life’s material possessions. He does not seem to place a sentimental value on things. I find this refreshing and surprising. Because we place such high value and permanency on people and things we will be disappointed when they are no longer with us. Recognizing that no one and nothing will be here long is a powerful antidote for grief. In the movie, “Courageous” a character learned to thank God for the time he had with someone he had lost through death. Yes we will hurt when our valuables' time on this earth is finished, but being grateful for the time we had with them is also a valuable character trait in us. How can we go on? With a grateful and appreciative heart for the time we were given. Life is ever changing and is temporary. This is Sunrise.
