Slow Going

One type of grief arose in me after a shocking and devastating loss. Initially I felt sad, despondent, and frightened. So many feelings and thoughts were popping up all at once. It felt overwhelming and chaotic. I knew I was suffering a loss and that my response to it was called grief.

So I began to breathe into the discomfort and pain of each feeling and thought. Each feeling and thought was like its own particular wound. I examined each wound, imagining each was like a small child. I spoke soothingly to each one.

Very gradually and very slowly, the grief feelings and thoughts began to soften...the pain in my heart softened, the chaos of my thoughts softened, the tensions in my body softened. Grief’s journey sure is messy and bumpy and slow going. And sometimes just when it seems like the worst is over, the cycle begins again… and it’s okay. This is the nature of grief and breathings and healing.