The Better Side of Grief
The Better Side of Grief
To all those who have lost a loved one, my deepest sympathy. I hope this letter written in honor of my husband's memory has a healing effect on you today as it has for me. It's true what they say, there's always a silver lining at the end of every tragedy life presents. I have discovered mine through the pain caused by the loss of my husband. My prayers for peace found in the process of your journey through grief!
My dearest husband,
it’s been fifteen months since
you passed into the spirit world
Last time I counted fifteen months for anything
was when our youngest boy had reached that age
Now he’s twenty three
and you would be so proud of him and our oldest, too
Well, I had one of those crying spells today
At least they’re coming fewer and farther in between
Some days, I just wish I could end this pain
and leave this world to be with you,
but then I come to my senses
I know how much I'm needed here
I’m reading an uplifting book, Conversations with God, by Neale Donald Walsch
In it, God says, "Grief is a natural emotion
It’s that part of you which allows you to say goodbye
when you don’t want to say goodbye
When you’re allowed to express your grief, you get rid of it
Grief that is continually repressed becomes chronic depression
People have killed because of chronic depression, wars have started, nations fallen"
Such wise words He speaks
You recognize wisdom when you hear it even though you're not there yet
Anyway, I don’t know if I would be on this path of knowing Him better,
that is, if it weren’t for this wrenching grief I own
Though, I must tell you, the good news is that it has opened my heart
and God has ignited many new pathways for me
to see His truth
feel His love
sense His peace
and grow my own soul
I am wiser for it, and have made leaps spiritually,
but then you know that
I feel your love inside my soul and your presence all around me
every day and every night, guiding us
watching over me and our boys
I want you to know how grateful I am for that
My grief is only another expression of my love for you
And as this pain continues to fade, my love for you will only continue
to grow stronger because I will be stronger for having survived this fate
of mine and yours,
and our sons who lost the best dad ever
Promise to take care of yourself
and I will do the same until our joyous reunion
some day on the other side
© 2011 Kathi Mirto