Grief

Grief. A natural process brought on by the (perceived) loss of another or an object. We are often told that there is a time for grief and a time for its passing. And this certainly seems so - grief lessens with time and we again fall into the rhythms of life. Yet is this eniterly so? Or do we heal on the surface for the convenience of others? To mask our grief to fit social norms and carry onwards so thoroughly that we manage to convince ourselves as well? Maybe a little of both perhaps. I love how Persian poet Rumi puts in in his poem Love Dogs- "The grief you cry out from
draws you toward union." Grief is indeed our connection to what seems lost and there is no need to recover from it. It simply is - an expression that allows to once again connect. I grieve for the loss of my mother, my marriage and closeness to family and pets and friends. I grieve for times passed when I could have loved more and held anger less. And in my grief I see both space and its collasp - once again I can connect. And once again - or maybe for once anew - I can hold this loss with love and honor and share my grief in its completion, complete now with our recognition of the briefness of each encounter. Don't give up on grief - allow its time and care for its embrace. It's pure in its connection.

God bless,
Eric