When my husband Martin and I began our His Lens/My Pen venture, the idea was simply to create meditations to accompany his images. (If you are just discovering our series, click on the photo and you can enjoy it in a much larger format.)
As these are beginning to be sold in stores (such as Artloft here in Birmingham), we have to remember that people shop for certain sentiments when choosing greeting cards. At the same time, I want to keep this entire His Lens/My Pen concept fluid and flexible. The Soaring with Friends card, for instance, could be for birthdays, or to cheer up a dear friend who may welcome the reminder that soaring days will return.
When a loved one dies, words are so often beyond reach. Grief breaks us in half, departs in its own time, unexpectedly wafts through our days long after we think our mourning is done. Comfort takes any number of forms—a friend’s embrace; a shared memory; a meal delivered; prayers; photographs; crying as much, and as often, as we need to.
The father of a close friend of my son’s died last week after an extended illness. Elliot was understandably upset. What words could I offer my son? How might I help soften for him life’s harsh realities?
Our family has always taken deep pleasure in the beauty of the natural world. My kids text me on the full moon, just to tell me they are thinking of me. Often our texts cross, as we are looking at the same moon, thinking the same thoughts. This has been a particularly glorious fall and Martin has sent more than a few image of “their” trees in full gold and russet. All I could think to write to Elliot was to notice something beautiful during the day and if he could, draw even small comfort from it.
Can beauty blunt grief? Dissipate it? No, not really. But in pairing the meditation above with Martin’s shot of these water lilies, I offer the possibility that even a moment of beauty can remind us that life awaits us on the far shores of our grief.
When has a moment of beauty helped soften a difficult time? Share in the comments section below, if you are so inclined. Have a friend or loved one going through a rough patch? Send them this card from our Etsy site so that they, too, can remember that beauty has the power to soften life’s sharper moments.
Each fall as the leaves change and the chill in air beckons I recall how a long unexpected walk in the changing woods helped “bridge the gap” created during a difficult emotional time. In fact, as we walked the crunchy leaves, admired the sunlight play, felt the chill of the air, and sat on a log nearby a stream we just breathed in the ALL. No words we said or exchanged. Then continuing to meander, we discovered a new path and journeyed it knowing it would lead out to a road we could then walk beside and find our parked car.