tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268746983441346507.post2433832832199285416..comments2024-02-21T02:19:16.755-08:00Comments on Widow's Voice: Seven Widowed Voices Sharing Love, Loss, and Hope : No One Ever Said ......Michele Neff Hernandezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02356589209090780127noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268746983441346507.post-84337441554935083542013-05-28T12:16:43.844-07:002013-05-28T12:16:43.844-07:00Thank you for expressing what most of us feel abou...Thank you for expressing what most of us feel about our children having to suffer this pain. Beautifully written.Angie Murrayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05326394638739308268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268746983441346507.post-82245526068903472622013-05-23T22:03:44.715-07:002013-05-23T22:03:44.715-07:00I am moved by the comments above, as much as the p...I am moved by the comments above, as much as the post. The evidence is everywhere: The most compassionate and generous people are often those who have been hurt the most.<br /><br />I wonder how our lives would be had we been educated (not just intellectually but also emotionally) and prepared for the fact that death is part of life? Halina Goldsteinhttp://halinagoldstein.com/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268746983441346507.post-50389595186399481472013-05-22T13:21:26.664-07:002013-05-22T13:21:26.664-07:00Thank you, Anon. I, too, have some of the most co...Thank you, Anon. I, too, have some of the most compassionate and giving children. Before I wrote this post I wondered if my oldest would be doing what they're doing with their lives, had Jim not died. I decided that, yes, they would have, but they are certainly more deeply committed and passionate about their work than I think they might have been, had they not experienced so many "storms" in their young lives.<br />So yes, grief has had positive effects on all of us, and that knowledge helps me every single day. <br />And true, if we're going to live ...... fully ...... we're going to experience pain and loss. <br />And though sometimes it's difficult, I choose to live ...... very fully.<br />Thanks so much for the encouragement. :)Janinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00949809367923657970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268746983441346507.post-39590031527691480942013-05-22T11:44:05.384-07:002013-05-22T11:44:05.384-07:00Life may not be fair (i.e. it's hurtful) somet...Life may not be fair (i.e. it's hurtful) sometimes, but the old cliché is cliché because its true: without dark, we wouldn't appreciate or perhaps not even recognize light. The children in my life have gone through three significant and very close losses in 7 years, and they are now on the brink of a fourth. Yes, it's been painful to watch, BUT I have seen them turn gradually into the most compassionate, incredible young adults...that's partly due to just who they are at the root of themselves, but I have no doubts that much of it is the choices they've made and continue to make from the hard experiences they've had. They've learned to love and let go, they've learned to nurture themselves and others, they've learned to appreciate the people and times in their lives, they've learned to not give up on hope and happiness. How many people live long, long lives and NEVER EVER learn those things? Life may not be "fair", but the rewards of actually walking many paths of pain can be something that builds the kind of people this world desperately needs. While I wouldn't wish any of the pain my family has been through on anyone, I know pain and life go hand in hand, just like joy and life go hand in hand -- intertwined and inevitable. Its what we do with it that matters. Keep swimming! You are doing great!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com