It was a warm day in the heavily wooded forest. The light of the sun came across with a greenish tint, as it pushed its way through the leaves of the majestic evergreens populating the woods. The sound of far off waterfalls could be heard through the orchestra of birds and animals going about their business. The gentle hillsides were inundated with life, in all varieties. Elk, deer, bears, birds, this was their realm. Still unspoiled by the encroachment of humanity, this was nature at its finest. Lush, green, and powerful, you could feel the life coursing through the air.
In a clearing, open to the sunlight and adjacent to a flowing stream sat a woman. This was her sanctuary, her place of peace and joy. Her long flowing blonde hair seemed like one with the stream. Today was no day for joy, however. She was suffering through immense pain at the loss of her unborn child. Her tears fed the stream with her grief, a grief that no person should ever have to confront. How could she hope to overcome this pain? This was no ordinary grief, the challenge of carrying on was a heavier burden that Atlas could even bear to carry.
April asked for a sign, a reason to carry on and confront her grief. “Why me, why again” cried April. The sound of a family of ducks filled her ears. She looked toward the stream, and saw six ducklings floating behind their mother, diving now and then for food. It was a simple site, to see a small family of ducks floating down the lazy stream. Careless and oblivious to the dangers around them. April’s heart was touched by the warmth of the interaction. Her grief was as heavy as ever, but this one small scene warmed her, if just for a split second.
Life was hard, her grief was maddening. It would be easy for April to just give up on it all, and end it. She realized that was the problem, it would be too easy for her to give up. April knew then, that while it felt impossible to carry on, she would. She had gone through this before, faced her worse fears, and realized that she could do so again. Life was precious, and she would prove that she had the strength to live it, even in her darkest moment.
