Griefs to Still

The most solitary emotion I know is grief. So deeply personal with so many faces. It comes for us all. Even children cannot escape it.

It never arrives at an opportune time. When it stands waiting farther down the path and we approach, we dread meeting such an unwelcome partner on our pilgrim journey home. And when we get up close, we recoil with fear and loathing.

Its appearance in The Garden, after Adam tasted the enticing fruit offered to him and Eve by the Father of Lies, ushered in a history of woe. Its entrance in our souls makes us wither. We were not made for this, but it is our sad inheritance, a burden too heavy to bear.

Where does this leave us? What can we do?

Here’s a thought. The miracle of solace lies in one simple act. To sit next to another person and share our stillness. What an incredible gift we can bring–our quiet, calm souls for others. No words. No solutions. Simply ourselves. What a balm to a grief-stricken, solitary soul.