The Cypress Maze

by Fiona Valpy

It was as if she was walking through her sorrow, moving forward into the unknown. But at least she was moving, rather than staying stuck inside the cage of grief that had imprisoned her

You wanted to help it, to save it from the hard work. But now you understand, it’s the struggle itself that gives the butterfly the strength to survive.’

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.

grief is love that has nowhere to go.

We’ve both come to realise that what was left, once we managed to find the way to acceptance and peace at the heart of the maze of grief, was simply an empty space. And emptiness can be filled with other things. Like joy. And love.