GRIEF

Today I am joining other bloggers for the link up with Karen Beth for Tuesday @ Ten where we have a full week to write on the word prompt.

This week's word is:

GRIEF...

As if we really needed to go to the dictionary for this one.  Yet I wondered what kind of definition the Webster's Student Dictionary gave for it; so I looked it up and found:

"Grief (noun) deep sorrow";
"Grief-stricken (adj) very sad;
"Grieve (verb) to feel sad (for); to mourn...

These words don't even begin to describe the feeling of grief a person experiences at the loss of a loved one!

Grief can also be experienced in other losses, such as the loss of a relationship, a job, a family pet...

Everybody has their own way of dealing with grief...

...and their own time period for grief to fade into sorrow and into remembering and whatever other form it may take.

I remember sitting in the middle of the shower and crying uncontrollably after my father died; maybe it was days, or maybe it was weeks.  But, he has been gone almost 25 years and there are still times I miss him so much I can't hold back the tears - especially when I hear the hymn The Old Rugged Cross!

My mother had been in a nursing home for almost six years.  She was not deathly ill; yet she had issues with breathing - COPD, High Blood Pressure, Diabetes.  She died unexpectedly; while taking a breathing treatment, she just stopped breathing.

We knew she was sick; we did not expect her death so suddenly!  I was devastated when I received the call and just sat on the floor by the phone crying uncontrollably.

My mother has been gone for almost 3 years; and I still miss her greatly.  She was my best friend and we did many things together as mother/daughter - friends!  There are days I just sit and think about her and our relationship over the years.

I still cannot believe she is gone!  I still find myself - for no apparent reason - crying uncontrollably as I did when I first heard the news.

Nobody can tell a person how long they should take to grieve for a loved one.  Just as everybody grieves differently, they also take a different amount of time to process everything and continue their lives.

Perhaps these quotes may help:

Found on Pinterest

at www.facebook.com/missinglovedone

Found on Pinterest

There is comfort in God's Word:

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
(Matthew 5:4)

God will comfort those who mourn; those who are grieving a loved one.

And, there is comfort in music and the words of hymns:

"What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear.
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer."

Yes, take all the time you need to grieve, knowing that God will comfort you and you can carry your cares and woes and griefs to Him in prayer.

My prayer for anyone reading this post is that you may be comforted by God in whatever grief you may be experiencing.

Take your time...

and know He is there for you.