True Destiny; If life is a Journey, Why Go it Alone?

Well the rain has stopped, the winds have died down somewhat, and the cold is back. What I would give for summer weather in December. I was blessed with a visit from my sister yesterday and today, and she has wisdom beyond her years, albeit, she is only slightly older than me. I love having her around and as I get up there in years I appreciate family more and more. It's funny, but when you are young and at that age where you are indestructible and afraid of nothing, you tend to look at family as a necessary evil. When you grow up and that indestructibility is a distant memory and fear creeps in from time to time, it is then that you realize how important family is to you. Funny how things come around when you least expect it.

I grew up with the importance of family being pounded into my head every day. You stood up for family and God help the individual who wanted to talk bad about anyone in your family. I have often said that you can say anything you want about me, good, bad, whatever. Say something bad about another family member, and you would have just crossed the line and you will get a lashing the likes you have never seen before. My daughter was raised with the same ideas pounded into her head, and I dare say she is even more likely to spit in your eye if you say anything disparaging about her mother or I or any other family member. Makes her dad swell up with pride when I see this. She has yet to learn about tacked and diplomacy but that is a lesson for another day I guess. I have been very fortunate in my life not having to deal with a tremendous amount of family loss. I have lost grandparents and an aunt, and some distant relatives, but for the most part my family is pretty much as it always has been. I know it is just a matter of time before I start loosing more and more family members, and I will have to deal with it when the time comes. I have friends who have been on the other side of this type of loss and I can only imagine the pain they go through. Loosing a family member is never easy and there is no way to fully understand the pain one will go through after such a loss. My heart goes out to anyone who has had to go through this, or may be facing it in the near future.

Loosing a loved one whether through a death or other circumstances is never easy, and there are few words that can adequately speak to the different situations that we will all face or have faced. Replacing a lost family member or friend is nearly impossible. Many of us have had pets and when we loose a family pet it is very difficult to think about replacing the animal. Many people have vowed never to own another pet, but soon the sadness one feels is replaced with a desire to have that companionship once again and we go out to the local animal shelter and look for the replacement. It is much easier replacing a pet then it is with replacing a lost member of your family, but the feeling of loss is taken out of the same cloth. Loss is loss no matter how you look at it, and dealing with a loss is almost always difficult. If you talk to experts in the area of grief counseling they will tell you that there is a process to handle one's loss. There will be a period of denial, a period of anger, and a period of acceptance. Now each area is different and each person going through such a loss will handle each area differently. I have had to help people through the various stages of loss, and each time I have had to handle them differently. Loss is never easy, either a death or just a loss of a relationship. Just know this, you will get through it and after the grieving process is complete you will have memories that will last a life time. Memories of the good that came from any relationship, family, love or any variation. It is difficult to see through a loss, but with time all wounds will heal and you will be able to move on with life and know that better times are ahead of you. How I handle a loss will be very different from how you handle a loss, but handle it each one of us will and we will come out of it knowing that our lives are better having known the person we grieve.

I know that today's blog is not my normal upbeat, get on with life and achieve your dreams and goals, but I also know that we face many losses in life and how we handle them is critical to moving on in life and being who we are supposed to be. Loss is never easy and it's never without pain and sorrow. But through it all we are able to grow and learn something through it. My heart goes out to those who have lost and for those who will be in a situation where they will have to deal with a loss. Surround yourself with family and friends and together you will be able to navigate these troubled waters. In the end you will be OK, and what seems like an impossible situation will smooth out and you will have the ability to handle it and see only the good and forget about the hurt and sorrow. My prayer this day is that we all recognize the inner strength we have and allow it to guide us through these tough times. Tomorrow is a new day with new opportunities. It will never be possible to bring back a loved one who has moved on either through an untimely death, or other situations, but you will get through it and you will be stronger for having gone through it. You will be able to help others tackling these difficult situations and you will be there for them because someone was there for you. Think about it.......