The Hummingbird

"Things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we expect."

-JK Rowling

Grief is defined as the anguish experienced after a significant loss, particularly the loss of a person we love deeply. Although there are so many similarities between how we as humans experience grief, the journey remains a very personal and tailored one. Those similarities can include anger, disbelief, sobering sadness, regret, numbness, anxiety, and pain. The nuances of how we experience and express that grief can vary like the shades of blue. The path of acceptance and making sense of our world after a loss can feel isolating and dark. Reconciling that there will be no new memories and no more physical touch can be daunting. It is often through the sharing of memories that we keep those that we have loved alive in our hearts.

Recently, a close childhood friend of mine shared with me memories of his mother who died of ovarian cancer, and described the period after her death as the most difficult trial he had ever endured. On one wild occasion when my friend happened to come upon a hummingbird, it found itself in his car suspended in flight and remaining close to him. In pure fascination, my friend described the overwhelming feeling that his mother's spirit was with him. Some cultures believe the hummingbird signifies love, healing, and the spirit of a loved one who has passed being near. This is what my friend felt in a most magnificent way. How many of us can say we've had a hummingbird fly with us, and in our car no less! There had been dozens of moments of connection with and remembrance of his mother, but none as poignant and surprising as this.

However we experience loss, we each may learn that we are also found by love in ways we may never imagine...even through the seemingly coincidental encounter with a tiny, beautiful hummingbird.