Grief

Today the people in Christchurch honour the loss of friends and family in their community following the earthquakes. Who can believe that a year has passed so quickly.  Loss and grief are normal parts of life. It is only that we love and are attached to people that makes it so painful. A life without love is very empty however. So we have to cope with loss as an integral part of love. It creates anxiety for us in relationships because the threat of loss, rejection and abandonment is ever present.
If however we are happy with our own company, have good self esteem then others are not those we depend upon, we depend upon ourselves. We can then quickly move to thanks for the times spent together and the wonderful memories which make life rich. If we live in the present moment, laying down the memories of those experiences rather than always anxious lest they pass, life becomes richer. Grief becomes normal. The ritual of letting go, like honouring the dead in community fellowship, are important ways of finding the support in the present to make it easier to cope.