Dust to dust - facing suffering with grace and growth

As a practicing Catholic and also someone who is embracing Buddhist philosophy more with each passing month and year, this article drew me in for its reflection on the value of facing head on the inevitable suffering we face. 

"We don’t want to suffer — we hate it, in fact. Yet it is suffering that often brings personal improvement. Not all pain is beneficial, obviously. But researchers have consistently found that most survivors of illness and loss experience “post-traumatic growth.” Not only do many people find a greater emotional maturity after suffering; they are even better prepared to help others deal with their pain. That is why after a loss we turn for comfort to those who have endured a similar loss.

Sages throughout history have relished the enigma that pleasure is undefined without suffering. In the words of Carl Jung: “There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the year’s course. Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word ‘happy’ would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.”

The two enormous losses I have faced this past year (death of my father and grand-daughter) have definitely resulted in great growth.  My meditation practice has exploded, watered by the tears and grief that I have faced head on.  It has been a solace and a place to be humbled by my own suffering, and the suffering of my own loved ones.