The gift of solace in times of great distress
In 1986 I had the good fortune to escape being trapped under a returning garbage truck. As I was stuck on the road trying to catch my breath, an off-duty nurse stayed with me and helped slow my panicked breathing. There is a deep gratitude for carefree presence in such a moment.
The Latin root of the word “consolation” derives from the Latin noun. solassiumIt means consolation or comfort in troubled times. Poet David Whyte says, “When our minds cannot bear the pain, loss, or suffering that eventually afflicts every life and every endeavor; when the people we know and love disappear, when hope must take a form other than the one we have shaped, it is solace that we must seek.”
Solace, a walk-through sculpture overlooking Geelong’s Corio Bay, offers a contemplative space for those suffering after road accidents.
People seek solace and hope in countless ways and places: The natural world offers space for healing, as do spiritual and religious practices. It is very important to be heard in formal counseling, rehabilitation or support groups. The kindness of family, friends and strangers in times of vulnerability can never be underestimated.
The third Sunday of November is World Road Traffic Victim Remembrance Day. It is estimated that 1.2 million people die worldwide each year and 20 times that number are seriously injured. Victoria’s Amber Community, a non-profit organization that offers free counseling, recognizes the need for solace in a variety of ways. Now in its 25th year, a Time of Remembrance ceremony is held annually at Parliament House. This event is an opportunity to remember our loved ones who have died or been injured on our roads. It is the center of story and song. On one occasion the choir sang Paul Kelly’s rendition of Psalm 23: Meet Me in the Middle of the Air. People bring photos of their loved ones and there is candle lighting time.
A number of petitions seek hope and pray for those affected by road trauma. Health and recovery services, caregivers, emergency personnel, legislators, witnesses and the general public are acknowledged.
Solace is also the name given to Victoria’s road trauma memorial. Overlooking Corio Bay, Geelong, this beautiful sculpture set of seven pieces depicts the phases of the lunar cycle. These represent the experience of grief and various emotions associated with road trauma. The semicircular shape and layout invite visitors to move around the space as well as sit quietly.
Why again? “It is not a consolatory answer, but an invitation from the door of pain and difficulty to the depth of pain and simultaneous beauty in the world that the strategic mind alone cannot grasp and make sense of.”
As my wounds stabilized over the years, a deep and lasting appreciation developed for the sources of healing and the nurse’s initial comfort.
Andy Calder is a Uniting Church pastor.
