We may not welcome its arrival or even note its departure, but many of us who have experienced grief know the toll it can take on us.
Grief can be deep and profound.
Grief can be shallow yet pervasive.
Grief can appear suddenly, stay an unwelcomed visitor, and slowly wear us down with its demands.
Grief can also easily slip past us when we were expecting a longer stay.
The death of a loved one … the job that was the ticket to a new start that didn’t pan out … the severing of a long friendship … a separation after decades of marriage … the death of our beloved pet … or, a phone call out of the blue from someone we once loved can all trigger a flood of emotion.
We may experience feelings of loss, remorsefulness, fear, insecurity, sadness, and bitterness. These feelings can overwhelm us. Our suffering shows on our faces and bodies. We wake up feeling wrecked, day after day. We may wonder if we will ever be the same again.