"The Heart of Grief"

i just came across this and wanted to share it

"The experience of loss deprives us of a living presence, a loved one. Our daily lives are thrown in disarray. Our life stories careen off their expected courses. Our connections with the larger contexts within which we find meaning are strained. We feel devastated and helpless in the face of forces and events we could not control.

"We experience heartbreak and miss those we love terribly. We meet their absence everywhere. We long for their return. We feel joyless, hopeless, and as if life is drained of its meaning. We wonder whether we have the heart to live on without them. The courage and motivation to face the challenges of relearning the world we experience. The will to reshape our shattered lives, to redirect our life stories. The faith and hope to sustain us on the journey.

"We do not want to stop loving them. We rightly resist those who say we must. We know in our hearts that it matters too much to us and to those who died.

"The central challenge as we grieve is learning to love in a new way, to love someone in separation, at least as long as we walk this earth. Nothing is more difficult. Nothing is more important. Nothing is more rewarding."
--THOMAS ATTIG-- The Heart of Grief: Death and the search for Lasting Love (2002)