“No one ever told me that grief felt so much like fear.”
“I thought I could describe a state; make a map of sorrow. Sorrow, however, turns out to not be a state but a process.” – C.S. Lewis
In moments of great despair, a deep breath, a good cup of tea, and a wandering novel often help pass the time that causes so much pain. But it is the moments in between – while making the tea, sitting down in the armchair, choosing a book, that often transport a man back to his painful reality.
And the breathing, oh the breathing!
That is often the hardest part of the whole process. Losing a loved one, a grandparent, a friend, a companion, or a fellow student, is not just a loss; it is often felt like an amputation. Allow yourself the time to mourn, to sit in sacred idleness, and weep for this loss. Breathe in, and breathe out. Sit in this space – for tomorrow will seem like it will never come, but it will, as tomorrow always seems to come, and with it shall come both the pain and the opportunity to mold this pain into something else.
And there it is – the new day. The day has arrived, as it always seems to do when the pain is so real, and my God has granted me a new day filled with the power to love even in the depths of my pain. So, I shall breathe again and thank God for the ability. I shall sip my tea, dive into the depths of His word, and learn to wait for tomorrow. For tomorrow also has the ability, a beautiful ability, to provide new adventures and to change my sorrow into fond memories – and it is within these memories that our loved ones live yet again.
Never forgotten, remembered, and cherished through the pain and the sorrow. Mourn with those who mourn, weep with those who weep.
God is good and joy comes in the morning.
-Special thanks to Brandon Edwards for these thoughts.
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