We must Believe...

When we walk to the edge of all the light
we have and take that step into the darkness of the
unknown, we must believe that one of two things
will happen ~ there will be something solid for us to
stand on, or we will be taught how to fly.

~ Patrick Overton

Most of the grief literature says that the final stage of grief is acceptance. I believe a better word is adjustment. Most surprising has been how much changes after the death of a spouse or loved one~ nothing is the same. It has been life-changing to feel how deeply sorrow can move into one's being. Grief does not only invite change; it demands it. Losing someone is not an experience I would have chosen, but with careful grief work, their loss has deepened my life. God knows grief intimately and offers what we need to recover our equilibrium in ways that we can understand. Gradually uncertainty and doubt gave way to a deep sense of God's presence, and I feel gratitude for the generosity of God's love in the midst of my anger and alienation.

*taken from the book A Healing Grief by Sara Wengerd

NOTE** Lynette ~ there was more to this ... your comment has had me add to this. Love you sweetie...

I believe we need to bear in mind that death is only one source of grief. It is my observation that divorce, chronic pain, job losses, the birth of an unhealthy child, or debilitating illness or accidents can cause distress, far greater than the death of a loved one. A friend who lost his first wife to death and his second to separation found separation to be the most painful: "Death is an amputation; separation is like having gangrene."