Love Never Ends
“The only guaranteed protection against the torment of grief is to never love another individual, and those who make this choice walk down a silent road on their way to nowhere. “ -C.R.H.
What a joy it is to suddenly remember that no matter how many challenges we face in life, we can take comfort in knowing that at birth we were given the greatest gift of all - the gift of love. When we love deeply or are loved by others we receive the highest blessing of life - a blessing more precious than all of our accomplishments or riches, a blessing that will carry us through hard times as well as happy. Sometimes love is such a routine part of our life that we forget it is there, just like the oxygen we breathe. We forget to give thanks for the unique opportunity we have to love those whom we are closest to. There are times when we fail to tell them or show them how much they mean to us, as if they are a glorious sunrise, but one we’ve seen countless times before. Despite our ingratitude, the steadfast loyalty of love keeps us tightly bound to our family and friends.
A treasure made of silver or gold will tarnish over time if not kept polished. Does love suffer the same fate? To answer this, let me tell you about my cousin Shelley and the impact she had on her family and friends. After living a life filled with determination to conquer the challenges to her health, after celebrating all the world has to offer, after revealing to us what it truly means to love, her time on earth came to an end. We who loved her now mourn her, our hearts now emptied of assurance and hope. How do those who loved Shelley find solace in her passing?
Generations of great thinkers have wrestled with these questions, and if the answers have been found they don’t make Shelley’s death any easier to accept. It takes no effort for grief to tear us apart, yet to truly enjoy the comfort of love requires hard work. If we accept this challenge we will soon realize that love is more powerful than sorrow. Love destroys sorrow, and I pray that we all remember this as we grieve for Shelley. Let none of us deny love’s ability to heal our hearts; instead, just as a new forest will grow from the ashes of a devastating fire, let our hearts grow once again.
While mourning for Shelley last weekend I had a dream that I would like to share with you. I dreamt that I, too, was finished with my work here on earth and stood wide-eyed before the entrance to heaven. The Lord greeted me and said that before I could enter I had to show Him all the treasures I accumulated during my life.
“Lord,” I said, “I respect your opinion, but as you can see I’m standing here as naked as a jaybird. How was I supposed to bring the stuff with me?”
The Lord said, “My child, you did bring your treasures with you. Look inside your heart.”
I closed my eyes and suddenly realized that within me were all the memories of those I had loved during my life. One by one they shot out of me like a rainbow of color and swirled across the skies, dancing before the Lord. He and I marveled over my precious possessions when suddenly a giant burst of joy exploded from me that nearly knocked the angels down, illuminating all of Heaven. The Lord looked at me and said with a smile, “Now which treasure was that, my son?”
I replied, “Oh, that was my cousin Shelley.”
