The Cypress Maze Quotes

“I understand now that grief is love that has nowhere to go.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“We always know our firsts: the first faltering steps a child takes; a first day at school; a first kiss. But we rarely know our lasts until it’s too late.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“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.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“A wise woman once said that grief is love that has nowhere to go. At last, I’m exploring new directions, finding the way, navigating the paths that will transform my grief into new love. Creating a map of my own making.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“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.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“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.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“I know now that silence allows doubt and fear to grow – and it needs to be broken.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“I think about sacrifice, about courage, about wanting to protect those we love.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“She lifts her face to the sunlight, closing her eyes, drinking in the day along with her morning cup of tea.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“And together we began replanting the garden, with hope for a better tomorrow.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“The surge of emotion I felt was stronger than the destruction all around me. It was so powerful I knew it could never die.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“Montepulciano still stood, serene in the afternoon sunlight, its ancient stones suffering but enduring.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“And my chest swelled as it filled with hope once again at the sight of so much kindness and compassion from these strangers, who took us into their hearts and welcomed us into their town.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“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.’ She glances up at me, making sure I understand. ‘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.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“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.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“I think grief is a bit like that, I tell you. You become trapped in it and no one can really help you get out. Of course, other people can support you, keep you company, perhaps even distract you sometimes. But you have to go through the struggle yourself to become strong enough to survive life after loss.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“But now you understand, it’s the struggle itself that gives the butterfly the strength to survive.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“But I held your hand as you closed your eyes, and I took your pain from you and made it mine. It was all that was left – all I had to remember you by. And it became something I had to bear all alone.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“There’s a serenity about her, her features softly highlighted in the last light of the day that filters through the kitchen window. A little gold brooch, in the shape of a cupped flower, glints where it’s pinned to her smock above her heart and her hair is as pure as the white roses in her hands. But beneath her quiet calmness there is something else – a sense of sadness as deep and dark as the shadows behind her.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“it’s the struggle itself that gives the butterfly the strength to survive”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“it’s the struggle itself that gives the butterfly the strength to survive.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“grief is love that has nowhere to go.”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze

“I think about the story Beatrice told me of Gio and Alfredo trying to help the butterfly break out of its chrysalis. I think grief is a bit like that, I tell you. You become trapped in it and no one can really help you get out. Of course, other people can support you, keep you company, perhaps even distract you sometimes. But you have to go through the struggle yourself to become strong enough to survive life after loss. You”
― Fiona Valpy, The Cypress Maze