Ep. 42: Grief is love with nowhere to go

Grief needs an exit ramp.

Grief comes in waves, some gentle, some with the force of a tsunami. The deeper you loved, the larger the grief.

My nephew, Michael, died in September. He was 34. Then my cousin, Rusty, died the Sunday before Thanksgiving. He was 66. They both left behind families devastated by grief. I’m trying to give my grief an exit ramp through tears, talking, writing and sharing stories with others.

It’s vital to take time to grieve. As Nigerian poet Ijeoma Umebinyou wrote, let the pain visit, allow it to teach you, but don’t let it stay forever.

Tips & Takeaways:

  • Give grief an exit: tears, talking, writing and sharing stories of the loved one you lost can help.

  • You are not alone in your grief.

  • Give time, time. Grief won’t end, but it will change.

  • Feel it all the way through, all the pain and sadness and anger, and let it carve out a sacred space in you.

Regina Brett