The dead are not distant or absent ...

"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