Waves and tsunami’s

[Springshine]

I’ve found myself missing Jamal’s absence so acutely lately that it takes my breath away. There have been things happening in my life that I want so desperately to share with him, but I can’t. 

They say grief comes in waves....today is a tsunami kind of day.

In general, I try to keep it to myself, I know that bearing witness to someone’s grief is uncomfortable for many people. But I came across this today, and it hit me in the heart. 

I wanted to share it for anyone else who might get a spark of comfort from it.

 

"If grief could speak it would say, I’m sorry.

 

I’m sorry it’s me that arrived at your doorstep instead of love. But I am made of love too. In fact, it’s because I love so much that I hurt so much when I lose the people I love.

 

If grief could speak it would say, You can survive.

 

I know you may not want to. I know life may not be worth living without them. I know the earth collapsed beneath your feet. I know a part of you died with them. And I know you can survive, one breath at a time, one moment at a time, one day at a time.

 

If grief could speak it would say, Please don’t hide me away.

 

I know when people see you with me they get uncomfortable. I know your friends don’t know what to say to me. I know it’s easier to hide me away when you have company over for dinner.

 

But I’d like a seat at the table. Will you let me speak? Will you listen to me? I can’t promise I’ll be polite or calm. I may raise my voice because I’m angry or I may collapse in a pile of tears, but if I can let it out then I don’t have to hold it in here, in you. I’d like to create some more space inside you for all of us to coexist. You, me, love, anger, laughter, peace, hope, joy... there’s enough room for all of us in your heart.

 

If grief could speak it would say, I love you.

 

You may not love me, but I love you. I love how you love so big. I love how you keep taking care of your babies who lost their papas or their mamas. I love how you keep taking care of that space your loved one took up even though they’re gone. How you leave their favorite book in the same place, how you leave their clothes folded, how you let them live a little longer in the things left behind. I love how you don’t let the world forget they were here, that they mattered, that they were a part of you. I love you.

 

If grief could speak it would say, Find your own way.

 

There seem to be a lot of “experts” out there about me. They say I work in stages and they make it sound like I’m something to get over, like the flu. What I can tell you is there is nothing wrong with me and there is nothing wrong with you. I am not a sickness, I am grief. I am a valid experience and emotion and there is no right way to hold me. There is just your way. No two people receive me the same way. Let’s find our own way to dance together, to cry together, to break together, to heal together.

 

Let’s find our own way through this brief and beautiful life.

 

Grief is an inevitable part of life, but that doesn’t make navigating it any easier. The deep sorrow that accompanies the death of a loved one, the end of a marriage or even moving far away from home, is real. But while grief is universal, we all grieve differently."

[Brazil Man]

17 hours ago, Springshine said:

I’ve found myself missing Jamal’s absence so acutely lately that it takes my breath away. There have been things happening in my life that I want so desperately to share with him, but I can’t. 

It's just how it happens to me, Sprinshine. I desperately need to share things with her. Sometimes I catch myself talking alone to her.