Good morning…
“Sue,” she wrote. “Yesterday a local acquaintance posted this on Facebook and I shared it with another still reeling from a death. I found it a different kind of living with grief, and it gave me comfort, even though it’s been years since my Mother died.”
*****
The Sacred Work of Grieving by Spirit of a Hippie
Grief is not just an emotion,
it is a weight the body carries.
A fog that settles over the mind.
A quiet ache in the bones.
It is no wonder you feel tired.
In this season of sorrow, let yourself rest, deeply, unapologetically, and often.
This is not laziness.
This is the work of healing.
Nourish your body with what you can.
Even if it’s just a piece of bread, a cup of tea, or a few sips of water.
You are feeding a body that has been cracked open by loss.
Move gently.
Stretch your arms.
Step into sunlight if you can.
Breathe with intention.
The goal is not strength, but softness.
Not pushing through, but allowing yourself to be exactly as you are.
Let the tears come if they need to.
Let the silence linger if it comforts you.
Speak your loved one’s name.
Or hold it quietly in your heart.
You do not need to be ‘okay.’
You do not need to be ‘productive.’
You only need to be present with what is true for you now.
Grief is love, with nowhere to go.
Let that love cradle you, even in your exhaustion.
You are not alone in this.
You are not broken.
You are grieving.
And that is sacred work.
******
What a nurturing way to look at grief. The Word of God also supports our slow, sacred work of grieving.
I do want to point out, friends, that time is of the essence…so don’t complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple—in marriage, grief, joy, whatever. Even in ordinary things—your daily routines of shopping, and so on. Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you (1 Corinthians 7:29-31a, MSG).
…Sue…
