
Her tortured breathing
Slowed to a gentle whisper
Till she breathed her last
As life finally left her
He knew: Love would linger on

Her tortured breathing
Slowed to a gentle whisper
Till she breathed her last
As life finally left her
He knew: Love would linger on

He lies awake
Missing her snoring
That once kept him awake

Grief can make you feel like all the roads are blocked, all the exits are barred. It can feel as if you have no direction, nowhere to go, nowhere to be but here, thinking of everything and thinking of nothing.
At such times, we need a way marker. We need a direction. We need to find a way through the barricades.
But only in our own time. When grief strikes, stop. Let it wash over you. Accept it for what it is. It’s an expression of love for the person we’ve lost. Take your time. Let no one rush you. Don’t kisten to those who would tell you that you should be over your grief, by now. There is no time limit.
Peace will come in your time, when you are ready.
Meanwhile, look for the signs. Look for the markers that say, “This is the way to your future.” They will appear. Sometimes, they’ve been there all along but our tears haven’t allowed us to see them. Sometimes they come along when we least expect it.
Eventually, though, we all have to make our own map. It’s not a map out of grief. It’s a map that acknowledges our grief, a map overlayed with grief. But like a landscape, shrouded in mist in which, little by little, the mist dissipates, very slowly, over time, as we keep putting one foot in front of the other, the grief, too, dissipates.
Maybe our grief will never go away. But it will fade, just enough for us to see the way forward.

Once upon a time
You filled my life with colour
Now you’re gone
I live in shades of grey

Winter hanging on
Tree buds shiver in the cold
With confused feelings
A numb heart struggles to be creative. But as winter turns to spring once again, maybe this is the year that the numbness will dissipate.
There is nothing normal about grief. Everyone grieves differently. Let your winter turn to spring when it is ready. You will know when it is time.