There is always more to the story. The saddest story is not the final story. If you have questions, there must mean there is more to the story you simply do not understand.

When we see the leaves fall in the autumn, we know winter is coming. Everything will die.

But we know, there is more to the story.

The Season of Winter is not the end of the story. It is a part of the story. But not the end.

The saddest part of the story, is not the end of the story.

When we or those we know go through difficult times, there is often a story of healing later.

This surely does not mean the hard times are not difficult, it just means we are in the middle of a story, rather than the end.

And when the worst happens. When someone passes from our life. Maybe we can invite the idea that this may not be the end of the story either. That their story carries on – in ways we can see in how their life continues to affect ours and others – and also in ways we cannot yet see. Although the Winter is all we can see for them right now, maybe we can trust there is a Spring we cannot see.

Life is complex. Most things are not black and white. In my career I work with youth from at risk backgrounds. I have had many clients who have committed crimes that, well, seem pretty bad when you look at them on paper. You might come to a negative belief about this person or or be tempted to write them off completely.

But if you talk with them. If you get to know them.

There’s always more to the story.

The more of the story that you learn and understand – the more the behaviors and actions taken make a bit more sense.

Just the same, when we find our minds in negative thought loops about the world or life itself – we can remind ourselves there is likely more to the story than what our black and white thoughts are feeding us.

And if we have questions, if things are not making sense – it simply means that there are answers we don’t yet understand. Life is confusing, because we do not fully understand it. It doesn’t mean there are no answers, it just means there is understanding we do not have yet. We should keep striving for knowledge and understanding, but also humble ourselves in recognizing how limited our understanding actually is.

I do not say any of this to say that there is no space for pain, sadness, and grief. There is. But among these feelings I hope that you might find a reason to trust that maybe, just maybe, there is more to the story. One day we might all see Spring.

Yours,