Grief

I share with you the agony of your grief,

The anguish of your heart finds echo in my own.

I know I cannot enter all you feel

Nor bear with you the burden of your pain;

I can but offer what my love does give: The strength of caring, the

warmth of one who seeks to understand,

The silent storm-swept barrenness of so great a loss,

This I do in quiet ways, That on your lonely path You may not

walk alone.[1]

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A wise word. Especially in light of that paradox of all suffering: its inherent universality and individuality. For, given the commonality of our humanity, though kindred our pains, none can know the height, breadth, and depth of another’s sorrow. In this, I recall the early counsel of a sage mentor: “Paul, tribulation always calls for our presence, yet, most often, not our words.”

© 2022 PRA

#grief #compassion #whatloveisanddoes

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[1] From Meditations of the Heart (1953), Howard Washington Thurman (1899-1981); Photograph – Scurlock Studio Records