Grief is most unwelcome when it arrives unannounced. Neither our lack of invitation nor our lack of preparation discourages it. It is the unforeseen guest at the family gathering, barging in unbidden and heralded by tears.
Yet, grief serves a purpose. It reminds us of our humanity and our profound connection to others. It is triggered by a stray thought, a memory of a loved one or the shadow of a pet gone but not forgotten. It reopens wounds that heal all too slowly — rarely fast enough to satisfy our desire to “move on.”
Michael Chancellor
Grief asks us to pause in the rush of life to acknowledge the void absence leaves behind. Although we do not seek it out, grief is a necessary companion. It serves as a reminder of our interconnectedness, our anchors to this world and our hope for the future.
Pity the soul who has no connections, for they are truly alone — untethered to anything significant or to those who came before. Like a pulse, grief is a vital sign; it is a tearful reminder that we have truly lived and loved. It is not a sign of weakness, but a testament to the strength required to keep connecting and moving forward. It is a courageous choice to remain engaged with the world despite the pain.
Grief teaches us the transitory nature of all things — from the bloom of a rose to our greatest friendships. We possess a remarkable capacity to carry the past with us, revisiting moments that make us smile or cry.
“Like a pulse, grief is a vital sign.”
We must never let the weight of loss shutter our hearts to the future. While great love may end in great loss, that loss is the proof of a life enriched. Rather than becoming overwhelmed by what is gone, we can choose to appreciate the people and memories that have made our lives so profoundly blessed.
Grief reminds us of our humanity, our connectedness to others and the creation we share as we live out our years. Grief asks us to tarry in the rush of living, to remember those who are no longer with us and the void their absence has left behind.
Like the pulse a doctor checks, grief is a reminder — a sometimes-tearful reminder — that we have lived, loved and lost. Grief reminds us of the transitory nature of all things, whether it is a favorite rose, a great love or a friendship that has passed into shadow but not from memory.
We never should feel the weight of loss is so great that we close our hearts to what is yet to be. Great loves may eventually lead to great loss, but great losses signify we were enriched by those loves.
Michael Chancellor served 33 years as pastor of four Baptist churches in Texas, six years as a mental health manager in a maximum-security Texas prison before becoming a therapist in private practice in Round Rock, Texas. He now lives in Taylor, Texas.
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