Reflections for the days when there are more hours of darkness than there are of light. For the bereaved, it might seem that all joy and hope have been extinguished. But hold on… the light will return… We are approaching the 20th/21st December, the shortest day of the year in this hemisphere, with the fewest…
It’s coming up to November 2nd – All Soul’s Day – a day when many of us will visit loved one’s graves to remember them, although in some traditions this might have taken place on October 31st. (“All Hallow’s Eve”, more commonly referred to as Halloween.) As Wikipedia helpfully explains, “All Souls’ Day commemorates All Souls, the Holy…
Remembering with love I heard your voice in the wind todayand I turned to see your face;The warmth of the wind caressed meas I stood silently in place. I felt your touch in the sun todayas its warmth filled the sky;I closed my eyes for your embraceand my spirit soared high. I saw your eyes…
(This post is quite significant for me today, as it is May 27th. It is 39 years today since my dear son Pax died. He is buried in India, but I have a double-headstone for him and his sister Catherine at the nearby cemetery. On this date I usually do a pilgrim walk up on…
Käthe Kollwitz was a grieving mother who died just before the end of World War 2. She lived in Germany and only survived the Nazi regime because of her international acclaim as an artist and sculptor. After her son Peter died in the 1914-1918 war, she wrote, “There is in our lives a wound, which…
A reflection for All Souls. It’s odd, isn’t it, how death can make the headlines and dominate the news, but days later, seems to be all but forgotten in the public consciousness. I was looking back at an article I wrote on this topic about 5 years ago. Around that time, a German plane had…
A post dedicated to those who might be feeling confused and even overwhelmed as they struggle to the navigate the journey through grief following multiple losses. Our church held a general memorial service awhile back. This was primarily for those who had lost a loved one in the past 2 years, although others were also…
It is not trite to say that our loved ones are with us no matter where we are, but there is a certain geography to many people’s grief. If you live across the road from the cemetery where your loved one is laid to rest or their ashes are scattered, then the coronavirus travel restrictions…
A Valley Journal 
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