The Many Faces of Grief

I am on a journey to understand where grief is found and at the same time affirm the value of letting go to discover a new world without the one we loved so much.

I admit to writing this out of my own pain. My mother died about three weeks ago and the wound is still festering. A few days ago I gave a message at a funeral reflecting how much I appreciated Gene's impact on me. The tears that flowed were totally unexpected. I wondered if I could even share a message at a funeral without losing tears and my soul.

I am learning to try to reflect the person I might share about. What would Gene say if he was there. What message from him can I share that might bring comfort to a family. Amidst the tears that accompanied preparation of a message, I settled on a scripture about how after a intense labor, a woman rejoices that a child is born forgetting all pain that proceeded birth.

The faces of grief fluctuate between the anguish of labor and the joy of new birth. In the case of Gene it was the realization that his hard work was not in vain. Gene would often say in response to those were worried about him, "Don't worry about me, I'm okay" That would be my message to family gather on a day to celebrate his memory. In the context of the scripture contained in John 16, I share how Gene would say the same words to family and friends. "Don't worry about me, I'm okay". "There is still a lot more labor for you to go through before you get to be like me." The words resonated with those in attendance, because the one thing they knew was that Gene was a hard worker. His labor was not in vain!!!