Far away is near at hand

Another postcard from the land of grief

 As I write this, I am a very long way from home. I am several continents and 4500 miles away, in fact. Outside in the street are the toots and cries of a busy street in Nepal, and above me tower the mighty Himalayas. All this could hardly be further from my day to day life at home. And yet, that other country haunts me here.

For my first few days here, I have been following a path laid down by the inspiration of my #bravestandbest. I have spoken to teachers and visited schools where money given in her memory has been invested in the lives of Nepali schoolchildren. Their eager faces and enthusiastic learning would have made her glow with pride, I know.

And now, here in the mountains, i find my heart stirred by their quiet majesty. Silently magnificent, they take my breath away, and I cannot help but think how she would have loved them. Wordless, hands clasped, we would have looked at them and treasured the moment. Eleven months ago today, that became impossible – and I choose to believe that there are other mountains for her to see now.

Years ago, on a railway embankment somewhere between Reading and London Paddington there used to be a piece of graffiti which read ‘far away is near at hand in images of elsewhere’. How true that is today.

4 thoughts on “Far away is near at hand

  1. I have just heard you on the radio. Thank you. I lost my wonderful, beautiful, kind, loving husband and best friend in June. Your words describe exactly my ongoing experience of grief and the excruciating pain in his loss. God bless you and your wife x

  2. This morning I lay in bed and heard you talk about the Land of Grief, wrapped with moving music and prayers. Would it be at all possible to see this morning’s words please. They would be comforting to those I know who are in twilight zone even though they do not relate to a wife or husband but mostly for those whose parents are leaving. Many thanks in advance.

  3. Yesterday we held our annual Memorial service at Holy Rood Church in Stubbngton, Fareham. One of the men who attended said that he had heard the Sunday service yesterday & felt compelled to attend the service. His wife had committed suicide earlier this year so life has been tough, however he brought a long his son as well to the service, so thank you!