8.02.2017

Overwhelmed

When my heart is overwhelmed, I find I have a strange desire to see that blinking cursor on the screen.  A fresh, clean page waiting for my thoughts.

It's literally been years since I have written a post.  I have considered it, longed for it, even, but have yet to write.  The last two years have been an adjustment, and perhaps I will write more on that later.

Today, what brings me here, is grief.

All of us have experienced grief, and it is unique for each of us--yet there is an experience of loss that is similar in much of our grief.

Death is not easy; it is not simple.
It is hard and complex.
But, it is not the end.

Our culture is so unfamiliar with death, we stay as far away from it as we possibly can, yet it is so near.  We find it difficult to even speak of death in final terms, we say someone has "passed" because to say anyone that we love or cared about has died...well, it's hard.  Not one of us is promised tomorrow, but we live as though we are.  We forget this life is not all there is, we forget to appreciate those in our lives that are the hardest to love, we forget tomorrow is not a guarantee.  

A friend of ours died last Thursday.

In moments when death comes so near that it touches my heart, I remember.  This world we live in, it is so broken.  So, loss is a reality for each and everyone of us--no one will escape.  And grief is absolutely necessary.  Our hearts, our minds, and our emotions need to process the loss we experience.

But, it is not the end.

There is a hope that does not disappoint.  And it's a glorious one.  At times, it is the next breath, at others, a warm blanket. But never, ever, disappointing.