The Art of Losing

The little dog, Dawson, mentioned in the previous post, was found dead today in our pond on the farm.  We think he died on May 27th, the day that Eric took me to the airport.  He returned home thinking that Dawson would come to the house as always, but he never showed up and Eric found him a few days later.

I started to feel attached to the little guy and it was apparent that he felt the same about me.  He followed me everywhere...maybe because I gave him treats and occasionally got down on the floor to play.  I was the main person who kept his food and water bowls full and let him outside to potty.

Life consists of losses, big and small.  A dog annoys you, then you begin to actually care about the dog, adjusting to living together in the same house and BAM!, you lose the dog due to an unfortunate accident.

We lose husbands, fathers, mothers, grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. Some people lose children...my mind and heart cannot even go there.
These losses are the saddest, hardest, the most significant.  But other things we lose can rock our world in a different way.

Sometimes we lose a friendship, an opportunity, a job, a favorite book or someone's trust.  Other things we might lose: our resolve, our personal identity, our much-needed space or our reputation.

I've lost many insignificant things...umbrellas, keys, appointment cards, coupons, books, a shoe, jewelry, money, etc.  Most of these losses are easier to accept, although inconvenient and irritating.

Things that I sometimes fear I'm losing are my mind, my respect for certain people, my patience, my ability to show mercy, especially with the ridiculous, my free spirit, my desire to take risks, my voice and my childlike heart.

The aforementioned list may be the result of losing some of the "real" stuff of life, rendering me cynical, skeptical, angry, aloof, anxious, less vulnerable and more fearful.

The thing is...losing the significant and insignificant can make us softer, more resilient, aware, compassionate, forgiving, but only if we surrender to it.  If we just leave our hands open instead of clenching our fists trying to hold on to things, we might learn to accept loss, even lean into it.

This is what I've learned....losing conditions you, trains and prepares you to handle other losses because that is the reality of this earthly life.  But, there's another life, our real life for eternity, where we'll never have to lose another thing precious...be it person or pet or prized possession.

So...let your heart be calm and your trust be in the One who suffered the greatest loss. Ever.