Sitting in the Tension

What does it mean to “grieve well”? This is something I’ve wanted to know from the very beginning of this journey. If I’m going to have to grieve I might as well do it “well,” right? Grieving well looks different for everyone. Every person’s loss is unique. Their relationship was unique. Their personality is unique. Their experiences are unique. And there is no one right way to grieve. It is something each person has to figure out on their own.  For me, part of grieving well means allowing myself to feel the hard emotions. This isn’t really my nature. My nature is to try to make everything okay and right with the world. To find the silver lining~ to make lemonade out of the lemons life hands me. And while that isn’t a bad way to live and can be helpful, sometimes I need to give myself time to sit in the hardness and uncomfortableness first and realize it won’t kill me. It is in our nature as humans to want to avoid pain. To move past it as quickly as possible. To push it away for fear it might consume us, or fear it might make others uncomfortable. But I am learning that it’s ok to be sad. It’s ok to feel broken. It’s ok to not be ok. To listen to my emotions and feel them all the way. It isn’t fun. It’s hard. But they were given to us by God for a reason and I know it’s the only way to healing. 

Sitting in the tension of uncomfortable grief.