Jun 24, 2024, Vol. 28 No. 25
Grief Is Good
Richard Rohr’s Week Twenty-Six: Holy Lament, The Universal Need to Grieve describes how grief isn’t rational in our culture: “As anyone who has experienced grief canattest, it isn’t rational. We really don’t know how to hurt! We simply don’t know what to do with our pain.”
We avoid grief. We deny grief. And we consider it unnatural and unnecessary. “We would much rather be angry than sad.” Rohr further defines grief as “unfinished hurt.” “We have to learn to remain open to our grief, to wait in patient expectation for what it has to teach us. When we close in too tightly around our sadness or grief, when we try to fix it, control it, or understand it, we only deny ourselves its lessons. “
Rohr’s article discusses grief as we deal with the death of a loved one, but we also experience grief from other losses. We might grieve over the loss of a friendship, the loss of a pet, the loss of a job, or the loss of a dream. In essence, we may be experiencing grief at any time.
So, how are you doing with your grief? If you ignore your grief, it will work against you. Grief must do its work. Don’t be afraid to grieve. Grief is good and good for you.
A Norvell Note © Copyright 2024 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved