When we lose someone we love, it is as if a searing hole has been torn

in our breast Grief is at first sharp and jagged, an overwhelm of our

system that tears at our throat like a tiger. Later it is a hollow

that forms in our middle, an ache that persists and persists., the

hollow often filled with regrets and 'might have beens' or 'should

have saids'. And finally it is a gentle presence, filled with warmth

and gratitude for the connection, the opportunities, the tenderness of

moments together that can co-exist with the darkness, like clouds of

different types and colours rolling through the sky. Lastly, as we

watch the sun the sun sink, oh so rapidly, down behind the horizon, we

are reminded that we are short lived beings on a finite planet, the

time short but oh so precious, together, alone.

- Catherine Jetsun-Yeshe Rathbun

Friends of the Heart