letting go...

Perhaps the most terrible pain we may face in life is to lose someone near and dear to us. It may seem as if the pain of our loss will utterly destroy us. It may seem so terrible that we cannot want to go on living without them.

In whatever manner we become parted from our loved one, whether they most go to seek their fortunes, or are taken away from us by duty, whether they leave us by choice or are taken by death, we may feel painfully alone and inconsolable in our grief. But we must go on. To do anything less than to hold our chins high and meet the new empty day with courage and confidence in ourselves only demeans the truth and beauty of the love we shared with the child, parent, lover or friend whom we are missing.

Love is so far beyond all other joys in life that our entire lives may seem to be eclipsed in the moment we lose someone we dearly love. What would be the worth and joy of love if this were not so? Love is valued beyond measure, it is so infinite in regard to the depths it penetrates us to reach our soul. Love is a liberating force that frees us from fear and pain and worry and loss. Love is an uplifting force that motivates us to strive to be our very best. Love is a binding force that knits us warmly to our family, friends, communities and world. But love does not complete us or make us whole.

So when we face the terrible moment when we lose someone we dearly love we seem to lose so much more than just the person we love, we seem to lose parts of ourselves as well. Our grief goes beyond the outward loss of the person we love and encompasses an inner loss of ourselves, the loss of parts of us that blossomed in the gifted sight of our loved one’s eyes.

So we must let go. Whether we are letting go for only minutes, hours, days, or eternity, we must simply let go of all of our attachments to anyone we love. When we release ourselves from those attachments, whether in a healthy relationship, or in a relationship that has failed, or in circumstances in which we simply cannot remain together in our lives, we are actually enabling ourselves to experience the love we believe we are missing. We can never go back to the past to find our love for it is always in the present. When we release ourselves from our attachments to those we love we enable ourselves to experience the effulgence of our love completely without hesitation or reservation so that our lives once more are sweeter and full of comfort and joy.

So let go to let in the love that is real. Accept today for what it is, an opportunity to find everything you may seek in life and to love and be loved by everyone you meet. And who knows? With your head held up and your eyes wide open someone very special may appear that you may otherwise have missed. So let go to let love return to your heart. Just let go.

Footnote:for pam