Since grief is an integral part of the human experience, each of us must face some sorrow, disappointment, and critical ending in our lives. In order to survive we must learn to face loss and grief fully and to trust that we can recover and re-create our lives.

Just as we know loss is inevitable, we know now that recovering from our sorrow can also be inevitable. We can even use our loss in loving testimonial to the deceased as a step in our own growth, as a positive turning point in our lives.

As we journey through these painful experiences of living, we must never forget that we have an amazing resilience and capacity to survive. Just as whole forests burn to the ground and eventually grow anew, just as spring follows winter, so it is nature's way that through it all, whatever we suffer, we can keep on growing. It takes courage to believe we can survive, that we will grow. It takes courage, too, to live now and not postpone living until some vague tomorrow.