All of us have experienced the pain of loss in many different forms. We have lost wallets or purses; keys or address books; tools or toys. Some of us have even lost our automobiles in crowded parking lots.

Have you ever watched young children participating in their first organized athletic competition? Winning brings loud cheers and high fives. Losing brings jeers and tears.

Losing hurts. It can be devastating to lose even what seems to be a trivial object or a meaningless game. Losing can often shape the way we understand ourselves, our families, our very lives. The way in which we learn to cope with even a small loss in childhood greatly affects how we cope with any major loss that follows ... such as a job loss, a broken relationship, an illness, or even the death of a loved one. It i…