Someone asked me if I had recovered. It's difficult to say "yes" as that would not speaking the truth.
This is what Sittser wrote: "Recovery is a misleading and empty expectation. We recover from broken limbs, not amputation. Catastrophic loss by definition precludes recovery. It will transform or destroy us, but it will never leave us the same. There is no going back to the past, which is gone forever, only going ahead to the future which has yet to be discovered. Whatever that future is, it will and must, include the pain of the past with it. Sorrow never entirely leaves the soul of those who have suffered a severe loss. If anything, it may keep going deeper.
But this depth of sorrow is a sign of a healthy soul, not a sick soul. It does not have to be morbid or fatalistic. It is not something to escape but something to embrace. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Sorrow indicates that people who have suffered loss are living authentically in a world of misery, and it expresses the emotional anguish of people who feel pain for themselves or for others. Sorrow is noble and gracious. It enlarges the soul until the soul is capable of mourning and rejoicing simultaneously, of feeling the world's pain and hoping for the world's healing at the same time. However painful, sorrow is good for the soul.
Deep sorrow often has the effect of stripping life of pretense, vanity, and waste. It forces us to ask basic questions what is mot important in life. Suffering can lead to a simpler life, less cluttered with nonessentials. It is wonderfully clarifying. That is why many people who suffer sudden and severe loss often become different people. They spend more time with their children or spouses, express more affection and appreciation to their friends, show more concern for other wounded people, give more time to a worthy cause, or enjoy more of the ordinariness of life."
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