“Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember that you are half water. If you can’t go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.”
– Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad
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Sharing a Facebook Page for all who have grieved a personal loss. Too beautiful not to share. The Poetic Path of Grief.
Contributed with permission of Charlene Ray. A helpful, heartful and soulful collection of prose and poetry for all who have had loss. Found on Facebook page, Poetic Path of Grief.
Charlene Ray, MSW, LICSW, is a soul-wisdom guide, spiritual mentor, grief guide, and teacher. She gently guides seekers on a quest to discover their authentic self and listen to the call of their soul.
Mark Lucero, LMHC, is a grief specialist, transitions coach, artist, and poet. As the founder of Pathways Counseling, Mark offers gentle companioning through the wilderness of grief and honors the truth that every person’s experience of grief is unique.
“Grief is like a stream running through our life, and it’s important to understand that it doesn’t go away. Our grief lasts a lifetime, but our relationship to it changes. Moving on is the period in which the knot of our grief is untied. It’s the time of renewal. Not a return to life as it was before the death you experienced-you can’t go back, you’re a different person now, changed by the journey through grief. But you can begin to embrace life again, feel alive again. The intensity of emotions has subsided some. You can remember the loss without being caught in the clutches of terrible pain. The armoring around our hearts begins to melt, and in this period of moving on, the energy that had been consumed by resistance is now available for living. Now we move forward, but we’re not abandoning the one we loved. We understand that even when someone dies, the relationship continues. It’s that the person is no longer located outside of us. We are developing what we could call an internal relationship with this person, and that allows us to reinvest in our life. If we follow the path through grief to wholeness, we may discover an undying love.”
~ Frank Ostaseski
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Wisdom from Maya Angelou
“I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life. I’ve learned that making a “living” is not the same thing as making a “life.” I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one. I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
― Maya Angelou April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014
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Marty Baker Williams. At any age, you can find yourself.
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http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/06/happily-ever-after/372573/
linda collins thomas 