Sunsets are one of life’s best gifts. Sunsets on the ocean, behind mountains or on the plains, I love them all. The sunsets from my home in rural Okawville are awesome. I’ll bet you have seen wonderous ones, too.
This sunset is from my office window.
For me, sunset is the most profound, inspiring time of the day. It’s the time to reflect on the beauty of this earth, be grateful for all that the day has given, and be hopeful for the next day, knowing that the sun will rise no matter what.
Each sunset is unique. Some are not majestic, with clouds obscuring the view. Just like sunsets, we are all different too. Some days spectacular, some days not.
It’s amazing to me, each of us are on this earth, experiencing the same day, the same breaths, the same sunrise, sunshine and sunset. But, each of us have such a different experience, different frame of reference and intention and emotions.
From my experience, it’s like that with grief, too. We each experience grief very personally. Unique to our experiences, frames of reference, intention and emotions. Even people in the same family, having lost the same person, will remember that loved one in their own, unique way and grieve them in very different, personal ways.
When I wrote We Lost Her, which is the story of my six siblings and my loss of our mother in our youth, I learned just how differently we each grieved her, as described on page 7:
“I was shocked at how much I learned from the interviews with my siblings. We lived in the same house when we lost her, but each has different, diverse, sometimes contradictory memories from the experience. I learned so much about my dear brothers’ and sisters’ journeys through grief and how they were impacted. I thought I knew them all very well, but I understand now that I didn’t. I am grateful for this knowledge and feel closer now than I ever have to them.”
Just like sunsets are all different, so is our grief. And each of us siblings found our way to journey through that grief. For some of us, it’s taken a lifetime. Fifty years ago, we didn’t have help through counseling or support groups. Today in Southwestern Illinois, we are so blessed to have Heartlinks Grief Center. I am so grateful for Heartlinks services. If you are grieving or know someone who needs help on their journey, please contact Heartlinks.
I hope today’s sunset bring you peace.
This one is from South Padre Island Texas.
Be blessed,
Ellen.
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