NOVEMBER 11
...and it was gray, and grayer the deeper he went. What if
it was deeper than he had figured? But soon the light
changed, the muck brightened, and he was headed out, to-
wards clear sky and sun again. He said that was the best
sight in the world: the world.
—JOSEPHINE HUMPHRIESDeeper and deeper we burrow into our grief. Desolations
pile on one another. We wonder if we shall ever see anything
on the horizon but this gloom and sadness.
Then one day, in some moment of quiet reflection, we
find ourselves Thinking of Something Else! Is it possible?
We will move back and forth many times—back into the
dark woods and forward again into light. After a while we
will realize it is all one world, that feelings of joy and sadness
enrich each other—as a person who has been mortally ill
has a new appreciation for the beauty of starlight, the taste
of orange juice, the caress of love.
Is it all right? Is it being disloyal to our lost loved one—to
savor our life afresh? Are we in danger of forgetting? Not
to worry. We would as soon forget to breathe.
I will be open to the possibility of joy in my life, and I will not be
afraid.