No one escapes suffering in this life.
None of us is exempt from loss, pain, illness and death.
How is it that we have so little understanding of [and empathy for]
these essential experiences? How is it that we have attempted
to keep grief separated from our lives and only begrudgingly
acknowledge its presence at the most obvious of time, such as
a funeral.
None of us is exempt from loss, pain, illness and death.
How is it that we have so little understanding of [and empathy for]
these essential experiences? How is it that we have attempted
to keep grief separated from our lives and only begrudgingly
acknowledge its presence at the most obvious of time, such as
a funeral.
It is the accumulated losses of a lifetime that slowly weigh us
down - the times of rejection, the moments of isolation when we felt
cut off from the sustaining touch of comfort and love. It is an ache
that resides in the heart, the faint echo calling us back to the times of
loss. We are called back, not so much to make things right, but to
acknowledge what happened to us.
down - the times of rejection, the moments of isolation when we felt
cut off from the sustaining touch of comfort and love. It is an ache
that resides in the heart, the faint echo calling us back to the times of
loss. We are called back, not so much to make things right, but to
acknowledge what happened to us.
Grief asks that we honor the loss and, in doing so, deepen our
capacity for compassion. When grief remains unexpressed, however,
it hardens, becomes as solid as stone. We, in turn, become rigid and
stop moving in rhythm with the soul.... with the flow of life. Grief is
part of the dance.
capacity for compassion. When grief remains unexpressed, however,
it hardens, becomes as solid as stone. We, in turn, become rigid and
stop moving in rhythm with the soul.... with the flow of life. Grief is
part of the dance.
As we begin to pay attention, we notice that grief is never far from
our awareness. We become aware of the many ways it arrives in
our daily lives. It is the blue mood that greets us upon waking. It
is the melancholy that shades the day in muted tones. It is the
recognition of time's passing, the slow emptying of our days. It
is the searing pain that erupts when someone close to us dies -
It is the confounding grief when our life circumstances are
shattered by the unexpected.... the ground beneath us opens,
shaken by violent rumblings. Grief enfolds our lives....
our awareness. We become aware of the many ways it arrives in
our daily lives. It is the blue mood that greets us upon waking. It
is the melancholy that shades the day in muted tones. It is the
recognition of time's passing, the slow emptying of our days. It
is the searing pain that erupts when someone close to us dies -
It is the confounding grief when our life circumstances are
shattered by the unexpected.... the ground beneath us opens,
shaken by violent rumblings. Grief enfolds our lives....
It is essential for us to welcome grief, whatever form it takes.
When we do, we open ourselves to our shared experiences in life.
Grief is our common bond. Opening to our sorrow connects us
with everyone, everywhere. There is no gesture of kindness that
is wasted, no offering of compassion that is useless. We can be
generous to every sorrow we see. It is sacred work.
When we do, we open ourselves to our shared experiences in life.
Grief is our common bond. Opening to our sorrow connects us
with everyone, everywhere. There is no gesture of kindness that
is wasted, no offering of compassion that is useless. We can be
generous to every sorrow we see. It is sacred work.
Francis Weller
from The Wild Edge of Sorrow:
Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief;
The Threshold Between Loss and Revelation
Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation
Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief;
The Threshold Between Loss and Revelation
Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation
with thanks to The Beauty We Love
~
Photo - Mystic Meandering
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