Somewhere between meeting the new
and releasing the comfortable
there will always be grief.
It is that separation thing
that is oh, so inevitable –
and as predictable as
melting ice cream.
It is the tug along the way
that pulls at the heart,
sometimes tearing it painfully –
leaving scars that
mark the spot.
Nothing lasts –
or so it seems.
It takes a lifetime to figure this out.
Eventually, we learn
that grief is the price of love –
given and received.
I bump into grief every day.
When I see it in another,
its embers are sparked in me
and the familiar ache of it all
shows up,
reminding me of its
ready presence,
pouncing on me,
like a mugger on a morning walk.
Grief has an I get it quality
when witnessed in another…
Our earthly existence
comes with loss
woven deeply into its tapestry.
We can see it in each other’s faces –
when we dare to look up.
Loss is the glue
that connects us
and joins us together.
Some think God causes this sadness
as if to manipulate us
to devotion
by bringing us to our knees
with heartache.
I disagree.
To me, God is all trust and love
with an unimaginable capacity
for wisdom and compassion –
and is not the cause
of our suffering.
If anything, God gets it –
suffers and grieves with us ,
weeping as we weep.
God knows that the answer
to grief
is the loving embrace –
the one we share with one another,
and the one
God gives with
Everlasting Arms –
through us.
We are not alone,
ever.
This must be realized.
When it comes to grief,
and life (as it turns out)…
well, we are in it together –
and once we get off the floor,
after extreme loss has arrived,
we can move forward,
side by side,
learning a deepening resilience
together.
Copyright© Cynthia Cady Stanton, 2018
Becoming and Beholding 