Grief just is.  There is no right and wrong to it.  It just is.

Though there are many flavors of grief.

You are touched by it when a member of your community is struck down unexpectedly.

When you experience personal loss grief can swallow you whole.

Grief can surprise you.  Sometimes your emotions are unavailable to you for a while.  You need time to heal a bit before you can open them up.

Other times your emotions spill out and you are shocked by their intensity.

Grief feels like suffering, it’s hard to see it as healthy in anyway.

You just want it to stop.

Would you choose to stop the grief if it meant that you couldn’t remember your loved one?

Even in the early stages of grief when it’s rough to even breathe, erasing your precious memories would be far too high a price to pay.

When your pain is so raw you think it will kill you, hold on to the fact that time will eventually heal you so that you can remember and smile.

Time is definitely a friend to the grieving.

When you can think of your lost loved one and laugh and enjoy the memory, you know that Time is doing its job.

The grieving process is a very individual thing, but understanding that there really are common aspects to it can help you feel less crazy or to worry less about others who grieve differently than you do.

Do you see yourself somewhere in the process? Continue reading article →