a grief observed



   I'm not sure I know how to grieve. Thankfully I haven't had too much opportunity in my lifetime to do so. The most likely event has been the death of my young cousin. I've been to other funerals of less-close individuals but I seem unable to go through the process I see others going through, even in response to other "sad" experiences.
   My first concern is that this may inhibit my ability to connect to other people who have experienced or are experiencing something difficult. It will inevitably hamper attempts to sympathize with someone suffering, and it has already caused me to feel self-alienated during times of tragedy because I'm unable to experience this deep sadness.
   My other concern is that I may hamper my own ability to grow in some way. I fear that I may be denying some part of my heart that needs to feel pain; some area that needs to be cracked in order to process hurts I've experienced or release bitterness that has slowly accumulated like dust settling on the lapels of an out-of-fashion jacket in a cedar closet.
   I've observed [healthy] grief, and it's something I hope to be able to do.





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