Is there anything better than a cup of tea with a beautiful view in quiet, peaceful surroundings? Possibly. It depends on your point of view. But we all need to find somewhere, sometime, where we can just stop, let time stand still, and relax.
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
Standing
Waiting
Longing for the time
When you return
And we can be
Together
Again
What are you watching? Do you long for the meadow And sweet summer grass?
To me, this horse seemed to be meditating. Maybe there’s a lesson for us all, here. Maybe we could all do with a few minutes of quiet contemplation, every day. Maybe, then, we would be better able to deal with what life throws at us.
Greenacre 9 