Letting go.

Isn't that what we wanted all along
Freedom like a stone
Maybe we were wrong
But I can say goodbye
Now that the passion's died
Still it comes so slow
The letting go

Letting go...
It is difficult for me in so many ways and in so many levels. Yet life calls upon me to do it, over and over again. I guess letting go is part of everyone's growth process. You see, we cannot move on to the new while we continue to cling to the old.

Yes Amna, there will always come a time when we must learn to let go of relationships. Maybe the relationship was not meant to be. In this case, even when there may still be feelings of passion, or attraction, or just the comfort of the familiar, you must be strong in letting go of something that is hurtful and hindering your growth.

By letting go, doesn't mean to forget or to ignore. By all means, we should carry with us the happy memories and the lessons we have learned from our past relationships. However, we need to let go in the sense of releasing emotional baggage we may be carrying around with us, so that we may be open to, and present for, a new relationship.

We also sometimes have difficulty letting go of friends and loved ones who had passed away, especially those who haven't had the opportunity to say goodbye. And there are those who have difficulty letting go of unresolved issues or guilt. We even have trouble letting go of old ways of viewing people who have been part of our lives for an extended period of time. Even when they may be changing, yet we do not let go of viewing them in the same way, and we even try to discourage that change.

Ok, I admit that I myself have difficulty letting go of my children, and allowing them to grow up. It was hard for me to make that transition from treating my children as kids, to treating them as adults and more like friends. Maybe because I am afraid to let go of my own identity as a mother. I have become so identified with that one role, that I no longer am sure who am I, outside of that role. But I realize that if I refuse to let go of old ways of identifying myself then I am hindering the growth and change that is occurring.

We all need, in one way or another to surrender to life, itself. It is not right to keep a tight grip on things that are out of our control. Let go, and allow the mystery of life to come in ...