You Never Know About People

The large cemetery across the street from my home has quiet neighbors and a great space to go and meditate. However, this is where I go to throw the ball for my energetic pup in a clearing adjacent to it. This morning as Coral and I pursued our morning ritual, I noticed a  woman that I had seen every day this week pulling up to a gravesite close to us. She appeared to be wiping away tears with a tissue in her car and collecting herself. I observed her as she approached the tombstone where I had seen her before. She covered her head with her scarf and knelt down close to the memorial of her loved one. I expected her to stay there in prayer but this morning, without any regards to us, she curled herself around the granite head stone and enveloped it in her arms as if it were her loved one.  Empathy and understanding for her loss washed over me with far too much familiarity to grief in my past. My eyes filled with tears for her pain. I moved away and allowed her the privacy that she needed even though I really wanted to go to her. After a few moments, she stood up lay her hands on the stone as if to brace herself and then retreated to her car and drove away. I knew that she would be back this afternoon, just as she was yesterday and the day before. Assuming that this was a fresh wound, I decided to go over and read the information about this someone so loved. Mr. Thorpe had died 2 years ago at the age of 70 and assuming that this woman was Mrs. Thorpe, there was a place reserved for her to eventually rest with him. 2 years! How could someone still feel this much pain for so long? It made me think how little we know about one another and how different we are. For some, the loss of a loved one is grieved up until they have to make the inevitable decision to continue a joyous life with happy memories. For others, like Mrs. Thorpe it seems, life is hard to carry on without them. This suffering happens more often than we know. Not necessarily quite this painful but everyone walks around with some suffering going on, some more than others. So no matter where you are, be mindful that the actions of others in the stores, on the highway or in your own home may be based on suffering of which you have no knowledge. Be kind and empathetic and love like there is no tomorrow!