Grief

The morning is still and colourless as I walk along the trail. No sounds except some birds chirping off in the distance, unseen.

I try not to let the tears come, making my throat hot, as the sharp sting of loss hits me once again.

Nature soothes, as it always does, and I am able to calm my scattered thoughts and think logically about the grief I am feeling.

Working through grief is such an individual experience. Dependent on the griever and the circumstances. There is no wrong way to work through the feelings that should be felt. They should be respected.

For me it comes and goes in waves as the days since my father's passing go by. It can be triggered the kind words of condolence, by the task of sorting through his things, or being reminded of a distant memory.

At times I am surprised at the depth of my sadness as his death is something I thought I had prepared myself for after the recent decline his heath had taken.

 But nothing can really prepare you for the finality of letting go, I am now realizing.

To help both him and us through this time of transition, we have done everything that we can to allow him freedom and peace on his next journey. We have honoured his final wishes, paid tribute to the wonderful man he was and toasted his memory.

We remember him well, with our hearts full of both sadness at our loss and great joy that we were part of his life here on earth.

We have received many lovely notes from friends and relatives and every one of them is treasured. One in particular has provided immense comfort to me - thank you R.A.

It seems that for many the opportunity is there to choose the time to leave this world. At those times of transition, for pure souls like your father, I understand that they are granted a clear vision of what lies before them and they are able to find that moment to let go when all the evolutionary forces of life are best able to carry them on. As you know the day your father passed was the full moon. An auspicious time by any standards. Remarkably though it wasn't just any full moon. Moon was in the sign of Cancer (Karaka in Sanskrit) which is Moons own sign. A very high level of dignity for the moon. However what made the timing so exquisite was that the full moon was conjoined with Jupiter in Cancer and the sign in which Jupiter is exalted-the highest of all possible dignities for Jupiter. To find these 2 great benefices joined together in their highest and most powerful positions of dignity is quite rare (perhaps only once every 12 years) and surely it is no coincidence that your father chose to leave at that auspicious time. I believe you can take great comfort in knowing that your dear dear father is experiencing a level of fulfilment and bliss that is beyond description and is the realization of his life's ambition.