Loss

A dear friend of mine, Dana, lost her brother yesterday. He had a car accident at 12:30 am Wed. morning in Mission Viejo. I didn't know Dan well. I always saw the side of him that had a kind smile and a tender heart toward his sister and family, and only knew of his life's struggles through what Dana shared with me.

His death has got me thinking about loss and its accompanying grief. We grieve for so many reasons throughout the course of our lives: broken relationships, loss of trust or innocence, changing circumstances, illness, and of course, death of loved ones. Sometimes we grow from the experience of grief sometimes we don't, but we are always changed by it. Psychologists tell us that it is important to go through the various stages of grief (denial/shock, anger, bargaining, guilt, depression/loneliness, and acceptance), and tradition has shown that time is the key to healing. However we grieve, it's important to preserve good memories from before the loss.

Tears have a wisdom all their own. They come when a
person has relaxed enough to let go and to work through
his sorrow. They are the natural bleeding of an
emotional wound, carrying the poison out of the system.
Here lies the road to recovery.
-- F. Alexander Magoun


Daniel Lee Pearson, may you rest peacefully
with the Father who loves you.