Dealing With Loss

January 8, 2012

Dear Friends,

I just returned from Washington D.C., where I attended a service celebrating the life of Warren Hill, my sister’s late husband. Warren had been in good health, but he passed away suddenly and unexpectedly due to complications from a fall.

I often mention that one of the keys to living life in the divine flow is maintaining a positive attitude. A "merry" mind-set is important because it helps you stay open to divine guidance, which enables you to play your part in the unfolding of a greater good. But—and here’s the point of this particular message—that positive attitude must be genuine. That means that when you experience a loss in your life, feelings such as disappointment, sadness, and sorrow must first be allowed to run their natural course. Only then can there be an authentic return to a more optimistic outlook on life.

Living life in the divine flow is not—I repeat, not—about stuffing your feelings to maintain an "appearance" of positivity. There is such a thing as legitimate pain in life. It is not the kind of pain that you bring upon yourself through needless worry, thoughtless actions, or inappropriate attachments. It is the kind of pain that occurs most often with the sudden and unexpected loss of someone you deeply love, or the loss of something else that is near and dear to your heart, such as a fulfilling job.

If you are dealing with a loss in your life right now—or any challenging situation—it is okay to go ahead and let yourself feel your feelings about it. Give yourself permission to experience all of your feelings freely and fully. Allow them to come, and go . . . and come again . . . and go again. It is the only way that they will eventually dissipate.

If, instead, you attempt to suppress those feelings, they will continue to exist at an unconscious level. And, in the end, that will just delay your ability to heal and feel joy again. And by "joy" I mean that underlying sense of appreciation for the total experience of life . . . a joy that embraces all of life’s twists and turns . . . a joy that may be best described as "bittersweet."

To each of you who have recently lost a loved one, a beloved pet, your home, or anything else that occupies an important place in your heart, please know that kindred spirits the world over are supporting you in the restoration of your sense of well-being.

And know, too, that even though it may not appear that way to you right now, with the help of The Divine it is always possible for great good to come out of this time of great grief.

Steven

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© 2012 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
www.rowrowrow.com
Steven Lane Taylor, LLC