Loss Is What Puts Your Life In Perspective
Loss shows it’s ugly head in many forms and shapes. We know from loss of money, time, possessions, and the ultimate which is loss of life itself. The latter has the most impact on us as once a loved one is gone from our lives it is forever. All around us we hear and see all types of loss to people we know as well as strangers. But as human beings with hearts and souls, you cannot distance yourself from processing what has happened to another person even if you are not directly impacted by that loss. Nothing comes closer to this topic than the earthquake that struck Haiti in so many ways. Loss of life, property, and spirit. The earthquake did exactly what it was created to accomplish by shaking and destroying Haiti and its people beyond its very foundation. The impact has been felt around the world. The devastation was of such monumental proportions that it is on the minds and lips of everyone, everyday. You don’t have to look much further than a picture on the Internet or the evening news. Words are not even necessary as here a “picture speaks a thousand words.” In your own life your realize you have nothing to complain about that holds any credence, because what the people of Haiti will have to endure to recover does not even hold a candle to any ordinary nuances in your life. Yet loss is not contained to only this particular incident at this specific time in history. Each and every one of us has stories of our own that make up the days and years of our lives. Change is always happening and loss in all its shapes and forms is always part of that change. “I’m sorry for your loss” is a common phrase to extend when someone’s loved one has passed away. We clearly recognize the effect that a loss has on someone and we let them know we are saddened for them. Your life shifts into “perspective gear” and you become truly grateful for your own lot in life at the time. You remember at one time it was you and that it will be you again at some point, but for right now you are truly grateful that you have been spared. It is that perspective that makes us the compassionate human beings that we were created to be. Offering kind words, a helping hand, and support in the form of directly donating money or to a cause is how we let others know that we have put their loss in perspective. We let them know that we can be there for them to deal with their loss at this time and pray for the strength to endure when our time will come.
by
Susan Koslovsky