Of Loss and beauty
The Tension
by: Julie Cloninger, HFL Team
34
In my part of the world, we are seeing the seasons change in beautiful ways. Maple trees are turning brilliant colors of red, yellow, and orange. Crunchy leaves on the path, make for satisfying walks. Some trees are losing their leaves and the short mountain views are opening up to long mountain views.
My community is also in a season of shared tragedy since the recent Hurricane Helene devastated our river valleys. Here in the mountains, you have life on the mountains and life in the valleys. Valleys are cut and defined by rivers. Helene overwhelmed the banks of our rivers and the beautiful, sparkling waterways that usually bring life, recreation, and enjoyment brought death, destruction, and chaos.
Most of life is like this— both beauty and loss. I look up these days and see brilliant colors on the trees and cumulous clouds punctured by mountain peaks, but I look down and see sediment covering every inch of what used to be a green field or paved road and piles and piles of furniture, house frames, flooring, appliances, and fixtures. Beauty and loss are shared poignantly by a whole community.
Strangely, when the hurricane hit, I was halfway across the country for a spiritual formation conference with twenty-four of my friends from graduate school. While my community and family back home were experiencing immense tragedy and the breakdown of power, water supply, and cell service, I was in a place with perfect weather and day-long workshop sessions. No one understood the fear and
that I was feeling being so far away from my family with no contact possible. Hardly anyone at the conference even knew it was going on. Yet, I felt grateful to be with friends growing in Christlikeness. Beauty and loss but not shared.
As I live as a human in this particular community, I recognize the tension of beauty and loss among us. Another tension is between those who fared relatively well from the storm— meaning no one died and your home remains, and those who lost everything. It is hard to give space to loss when there are those around you who so obviously lost more. It is hard for everyone.