Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Love That Transcends and Never Ends


Seeking Beauty—A Conscious Choice

This week, I decided to seek beauty each day and at the day’s end, decide what experience, thought, or view awakened beauty most in my psyche. I hope this focus on beauty will enrich me and I can share that beauty.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Beauty in Sorrow—Love That
Transcends and Never Ends

“When you are sorrowful
look again in your own heart,
and you shall see that in truth
you are weeping for that
which has been your delight.[1]

Beauty called out to me when I saw the last photo taken of infant Scarlette Adora, the child of my daughter’s friend. Two days after the photo was taken, on June 6, 2011, when Scarlette was only five months old, she died of SIDS.
One might wonder why, of all the flowers and birds and beautiful words and the spectacular pink sunset Monday evening, I know Scarlette’s photo is the most beautiful thing I saw, the most beautiful thing I experienced in the fifteen or so hours I was awake and alert to beauty on Monday.
Love is why. Scarlette’s mother writes of her love on Facebook on more days that I can count. I met her via my daughter and I’ve watched her step through a year of unimaginable grief, suffering, searing pain. I admire her grace. I admire her grit.
Through all her heart-wrenching words, through every tear, through every bit of anger and confusion and question and the realization that there are no answers to “Why?” and that there never will be, one thing about Scarlette’s mother has been most prominent. Love. I have witnessed such abounding, abiding love for Scarlette.
Like the first ray of sun after a week of rain, that love has shone. Love in all its perplexities. Love in all its questions without answers. Love. Beyond the tears, beyond the gut-stabbing grief, the love exists. It is a beacon to me when my own path seems uncertain. It is a beacon to everyone fortunate enough to have the honor of being a part of her year of grief. It is the exquisite color — Scarlette — red, for the heavy hearts. But beyond the heavy hearts and the tears, the love remains.
And it’s true, that such a love does transcend space and time and sorrow. Nothing was more beautiful to me on Monday than once again seeing and sensing that love for Scarlette Adora, who was a delight.





[1] Gibran, Kahlil. The Prophet, from “Joy and Sorrow.” Aldred A. Knopf, Inc.: New York. 105th Printing. November 1980. © 1923, Renewed 1951.

No comments:

Post a Comment