"The dead are not distant or absent. They are alongside us.
When we
lose someone to death, we lose their physical image and presence,
they
slip out of visible form into invisible presence.
This alteration of
form is the reason we cannot see the dead.
But because we cannot see
them does not mean that they are not there.
Transfigured into eternal
form, the dead cannot reverse the journey and
even for one second
re-enter their old form to linger with us a while.
Though
they cannot reappear, they continue to be near us and part
of the
healing of grief is the refinement of our hearts whereby we
come to
sense their loving nearness.
When we ourselves enter the eternal world
and come to see
our lives on earth in full view, we may be surprised at
the immense
assistance and support with which our departed loved ones
have accompanied every moment of our lives. In their new,
transfigured
presence their compassion, understanding and
love take on a divine
depth, enabling them to become
secret angels guiding and sheltering the
unfolding of our destiny."
JOHN O'DONOHUE
Excerpt from his books, Beauty: The Invisible Embrace (US)
https://johnodonohue.com/store
