Photo of the Day: The Long Road of Loss and Light by Jared Harding Wilson

by Jared Harding Wilson

A Brief Moment in Time

There is a reason I love sunsets. They are breathtakingly beautiful, yet so incredibly brief. As I look at this road stretching toward the horizon, I’m reminded that a sunset is a paradox: it is the “sad” end of a day, but it also signifies the quiet start of something new.

I often think about the nature of time. President Thomas S. Monson taught this so poignantly:

“There is no going back, but only forward. Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future.” (General Conference, Oct. 2012)

The Weight of the Unseen

I have known physical agony. I have broken my arm three separate times—the first being the most traumatic, requiring the bones to be reset multiple times, and another fall that left me with a scar to the bone. I have been “miserably sick” more times than I can count.

But I have learned a hard truth: if I were to combine every ounce of physical pain from every injury and illness in my life, it wouldn’t even scratch the surface of the pain I have felt from terrible loss. Grief is a soul-level weight that has taken me years of therapy and reflection just to have the strength to write about today.

Support and Growth Through the Dark

I have not had to walk this heavy road alone. Through every dark valley and years of processing that grief, my lovely, incredible wife has been an amazing support. Her love has been a steady anchor for my soul, reminding me that even when things feel lost, there is still beauty and companionship in the here and now.

This loss has been a great teacher. It has forced me to choose a better path and to do better with the life I still have. It has stripped away the “thick of thin things” and left me focused on what is eternal.

Hope in the Restitution of All Things

One thing that keeps me moving forward is the perspective of the eternities. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ, and I have a deep hope that through Him, “lost” is only a temporary state. I pray every day for those I love with all my heart, holding onto the promise that someday, those who were lost will be found.

Perhaps you are reading this because you, too, have experienced a terrible loss. Maybe you are in the middle of a grief so heavy it feels like you can’t breathe. If that is you, please know that you are not alone. I know how it feels when the world seems small compared to the ache in your soul. I am a witness that even after the darkest sunset, there is a promise of a new dawn.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Photo by Jared Harding Wilson. All rights reserved.