Making sense of an unexpected loss
You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shade of the Almighty,
Say to the Lord, “My refuge and fortress,
my God in whom I trust.”
He will rescue you from the fowler’s snare,
from the destroying plague,
He will shelter you with his pinions,
and under his wings you may take refuge;
his faithfulness is a protecting shield.
You shall not fear the terror of the night
nor the arrow that flies by day,
Nor the pestilence that roams in darkness,
nor the plague that ravages at noon.
Though a thousand fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
near you it shall not come.
(Psalm 91:1-7)I am not a Christian, neither do I pretend to be one. At least not for now. But sometimes, words spoken and written, many generations ago, keep in them wisdom and comfort that can best express our emotions than our own words or thoughts.
I lost a friend recently. He took his own life. Many miles away from me. Very unlike him. And I cannot make sense of it. But I do not have to make sense of it. Because it happened. And those more closely connected with him than I, have to deal with the consequences that follow. May their journey be lighter as time eases pain.
Sometimes our thoughts and the circumstances in life, lead us to dark paths where being reasonable and logical, do not work any longer. Because at the heart of it, we can more run by our emotions than our reasons.
All I have to say to you all, is that life and human connections and relations, are far more valuable than all the riches in the world. Do not lose yourselves, in the gaining of material that go not nourish your souls. Things will come and go. Worry more about things beyond yourself and your immediate desires. Check up on your friends, your family, your neighbour and those in your community. That matters more all the riches and kingdoms of the world. That is the essence of who we are, and the further we go from it, the further we go away from ourselves.
Many among us, are traveling dark paths. We have lost ourselves because we have lost that connection. So we either make our most basic desires our new god or we seek to end it all to reconnect with the lost god. This is not a happy road we are on. We must return to one another, and together we must find a way, to make sense of it all.
I send you all, my sincerest love, from the bottom of my heart. I wish I could take away all your pain, and rest it in my heart, so you could all be free from it. But that is not how it works. We must all live our burdens, but it becomes lighter when it is shared and more bearable. Take care of the people around and let them take care of you.
