out of the storm – Walking with the bereaved

Last week I conducted my 95th funeral service!  It is such a privilege to be invited into homes to share in their grief and pain. It’s also a challenge to find the right words that will resonate with their feelings and beliefs and provide some comfort and hope for the weeks ahead.

It never ceases to amaze me that most of the beautiful and meaningful quotes are penned by those who are familiar with suffering. Shakespeare said that ‘Tears water our growth‘ and the Bible says that ‘God collects our tears in a bottle‘.  For me this means that our hurt and pain aren’t wasted.  God knows and understands our heartache and perhaps pours our tears back into our lives as refreshment when we need it.

This insightful quote from Helen Keller is one I use often:

‘The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.’

If we didn’t love we wouldn’t grieve and bereavement wouldn’t be in our vocabulary, so grief is the price of love.

Stunning scenery and music can take us to new heights in our mind but our love for someone who has passed away remains forever in our heart. We all have to hold on to the love, not the loss.  Grief is a passage, not a place to stay.

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