The Cypress Maze

by Fiona Valpy

‘I understand now that grief is love that has nowhere to go.

it’s the struggle itself that gives the butterfly the strength to survive.’

‘There are seasons of grief, Tess, just like there are in the garden . . . a frozen winter that it seems will never end; then a spring thaw, when hope returns, bringing with it the promise of summer. That’s when the memories return – the good ones, the ones you thought had died.’

‘But there’s an autumn too. A letting go. A time when you start to forget again. I suppose without that ending there can be no new beginning. It’s nature’s way.’

How far would any of us go for someone we love? The answer is, we’ll go as far as is needed.

Like a butterfly in a chrysalis, the struggle through my grief is a necessary part of being able to escape and leave it behind, helping me grow strong enough to spread my wings and fly again.

Understanding at last that what lies in the heart of the maze of grief is, very simply, acceptance. And once we unlock that hidden chamber, there is nothing left but peace.

we’ve both learned that silence can be the worst thing of all. Talking can be painful too, sometimes, but it stops grief from sinking its roots down into the dark loneliness of silence and wrapping its tendrils around your heart.

sometimes it’s important to go through your own struggles, shut in the chrysalis of your grief, but that there are others alongside you – there to support and encourage you – the ones who have learned how to become stronger through struggles of their own and now fly free.