It has been a hard week, not just for me, but for many of you to whom I have talked. We all have our own personal griefs and when something devastating happens, like Hurricane Helene, the impact of a collective grief can hit us in unexpected ways, re-traumatize old griefs, or intensify new grief experiences. It can really weigh us down. Sometimes our first instinct is to wall up, block It out, or pretend it’s not there because we don’t want to take the time to feel bad. But what if we practiced inviting it in? It really is vitally important to our emotional well-being that we take the time to process grief.
This was one of the suggestions in our Creativity Matters packet, to invite grief in: “The first step of inviting in hard emotions is to simply get to know them. To invite them in as complicated companions who might be simply frightening and painful or are possibly also trying to protect you, albeit in a less-than-ideal way.”
The assignment was: “So, what does it look like for you to invite grief in? What realistic scene, abstract image or collaged collection captures how grief feels? Try to invite in and open yourself to this complexity as you tackle this project.”
Our member, Gail Rushford, opened herself up to this project and allowed me to share with all of you. She created an AI image and wrote a poem:
Dear Grief,
I want you to leave
No, wait—I’m sorry
I didn’t mean it
Stay
We can keep each other company
I will listen if you have things to tell me
Or, we can just sit quietly together
until we are both ready to say
goodbye
“go now in peace”
Beautifully done, Gail. Thank you.
I also very much appreciated this quote from Soul Matters:
From Christine Valters Paintner:
“Carl Jung once said in a BBC interview that he began calling God all those “things which cross my willful path violently and recklessly, all things which upset my subjective views, plans and intentions, and change the course of my life for better or for worse.” The divine is that power which disrupts everything.
What if our practice were to court a holy disruption? To welcome in everything which challenges my perspective on how the world works, which upsets all the plans I have for myself, and turns them on their heads?
What if when life started falling apart, I opened my heart to welcome in the grief and fear that arrived as well and considered them as holy guides and windows into the immensity of God? What if all the painful feelings of loss and disorientation were invited in for tea and tenderness? What if everything that turns our preconceived ideas inside out is precisely where we find God?”
And one more timely post about grief from Jason DeShazo/Momma Ashley Rose:
Take care of yourselves during this time and please reach out if you need anything.