Beautifully expressed! We need so much more kindness (antivenom) to counteract where we are today. Thank you for continuing to ‘beat the drum’ of hope to help us through these dark times.
They’re a married couple with no children, and a twist of fate brought this wee dog into their lives. They both wove their daily caring into the life of sweet Kismet, and she threaded tightly into their days over 14 years.
And now their loss is so vast, their grief seems endless.
In responding to their suffering, I found myself writing about the gift of such a deep loss: compassion for the suffering of others.
In reading your Antivenom I realize the next thread is in the act of kindness, as you describe.
It’s how any of us get beyond “nice.”
The Ironic Gift of suffering.
And if we don’t find a way to make the suffering active, it can break the thread and cause us to “tie ourselves in knots.”
Grumpy.
Victim.
Revengeful.
Full of the venom of loss…
Huge thoughts to gain from your gift, Sylvie. Thank you…again.
Oh, Maryli, My heart goes out to your cousins. My animals are always such a part of my family and heart. I really understand how devastating it is to lose them.
And I love the connection you made between loss, compassion, and kindness. And I love your expression "to make the suffering active." Thank you so much, Maryli!
Beautifully expressed! We need so much more kindness (antivenom) to counteract where we are today. Thank you for continuing to ‘beat the drum’ of hope to help us through these dark times.
Thank you so much, Sheila!
Recently my cousins had their beloved dog die.
They’re a married couple with no children, and a twist of fate brought this wee dog into their lives. They both wove their daily caring into the life of sweet Kismet, and she threaded tightly into their days over 14 years.
And now their loss is so vast, their grief seems endless.
In responding to their suffering, I found myself writing about the gift of such a deep loss: compassion for the suffering of others.
In reading your Antivenom I realize the next thread is in the act of kindness, as you describe.
It’s how any of us get beyond “nice.”
The Ironic Gift of suffering.
And if we don’t find a way to make the suffering active, it can break the thread and cause us to “tie ourselves in knots.”
Grumpy.
Victim.
Revengeful.
Full of the venom of loss…
Huge thoughts to gain from your gift, Sylvie. Thank you…again.
Oh, Maryli, My heart goes out to your cousins. My animals are always such a part of my family and heart. I really understand how devastating it is to lose them.
And I love the connection you made between loss, compassion, and kindness. And I love your expression "to make the suffering active." Thank you so much, Maryli!