I carry my reflection books in a small plastic tub.  It keeps them all tidily in one place, and makes for easy transportation when I go away.  As I reached down to pick one out this morning, my fingers encountered a loose piece of paper.  There, at the bottom of the tub, lay a small 3” x 5” piece of printing.  I pulled it out and recognized it immediately as something that a dear friend had given me about a year ago.  It was the copy of page 242 from a daily book of goddess reflections that she reads.

At the time, I was going through an immensely sad moment in my life.  In hindsight, I realize I was probably verging on the edge of depression.  I am very fortunate that I have many tools that I use on a daily basis that help me to never sink into the desperate depths of that particular disease.  And then too, I have wonderful friends who walk a similar path to mine who care about me and give me exactly what I need when I need it.

And thus I received page 242 at just the right moment.  The goddess who was addressed on that page was O-Ryu.  She is referred to as Grandmother O-Ryu and is the Japanese goddess of the Willow tree.  This is what was written about her.

She waits for you in her sacred tree temple beside the quiet night river.  A golden Moon whispers above her long and hanging
branches, casting a twinkling outline around her wavy edges.  “Come to me”, O-Ryu calls out as she reaches her long and
leafy branches toward you for a loving hug.  An owl flaps a low, deep hoot from somewhere inside her soft green tendrils,
and you notice a spider’s web gleaming silver on the tips of her twiggy fingers.

Perhaps you have postponed your mourning too long,” O-Ryu urges.  “Mourn means ‘to remember’.  Who wants to be
remembered today?  Can you whisper their name out loud?  Call their spirit to come and sit beside you here by the River.
Let us cry together and gather the wisdom they want to share with you.  The spirit of someone deceased wants to talk
with you.  Something you need to know will be revealed in a powerful feeling.”

At the top of this page was a statement:  “Tears, too, are sacred and can wash away your grief.  Honor your memories.”  At the bottom of the page was another statement: “Mourning my losses and grieving are necessary processes on my spiritual path.”

When I was in High School there was a small section of the playground that was a grassed area where we could sit in those rare warm English summer days!  In the corner of this place was a large weeping willow tree that I loved to sit under and feel protected and safe, cocooned if you will.  As I read page 242 I was reminded of those days and, because I firmly believe that nothing happens “by chance”, I chose to work with the imagery of O-Ryu for the next few days, weeks, however long it should prove necessary.

In those days, I discovered that I was mourning the loss of my daughter.  No, she had not died in the physical sense, but I had “lost” her all the same.  The details of this loss are not important to this writing.  What is important is that I discovered what had been destroying me inside during that moment in my life, and I was able to release it with O-Ryu’s help.  I also discovered that I needed to mourn the loss of my mother at a deeper level, I came to understand some of her pain that I had helped to create.

Tears are cleansing.  They are an important part of our journey to wholeness.  They wash away the grief and allow for new seeds of happiness to bloom in once broken hearts.  Welcome your tears as the refreshing waters for new growth.  As the tears evaporate and dry on your cheeks, so an inner peace will enter your soul and bless you on your way.