No life is devoid of pain and sorrow. But why? For what purpose?
So I imagined: What if Grief wrote us a letter? What would she want us to know?
Here’s what she had to say.

The gifts of grief

Many people don’t like me.
Don’t appreciate me.
They cast me aside,
Rejected.
Neglected.
Despised. 

But I ask you this:
Without me,
how would you recognise
Joy? Without me,
how would you feel
Regret? Without me,
how would you show
Forgiveness? Unearth Patience?
Cultivate Hope? Without me,
how would you know
Love?

I know my load can feel heavy and difficult to bear.
I wish it didn’t have to be that way… Yet
Pain is, and always has been, the
precursor of change and growth.

You may not always see it that way, but
you need me.

 You need me to cleanse you from your pain.

You need me to clear that fog, that
opaque armour on your soul.

You need me, so you can see more clearly,
Re-arrange that house of cards you’ve built so neatly,
Tear down that fence you’ve put up
around your heart. 

You need me.

So, next time I visit please don’t shun me away. Instead…

… Embrace me! 

Allow me to flow through you,
Imbue you with my wisdom and care. 

For when you do.
When you accept my gifts of love,
diving into the depths of Your Soul,
Your Humanity. Your Vulnerability.
Your Unadulterated Beauty,

You Will Shine!