At some point in our lives we will all lose someone that we love. The grieving process that follows is one of our most painful experiences. There is only one way though this process and it is to just experience it fully and completely. It cannot be hurried, buried or dismissed, but rather, allowed to complete its cycle for however long it takes, which includes the fear, anger, sadness and grief.
The important thing for us to remember when we are going through this pain, is to take care of ourselves no matter how hard this may be. As we nurture our bodies with food and a warm bath, also remember to reach into the core of our hearts and pull out the unlimited capacity for love that is there. Shower ourselves with all of this love and compassion and release any judgment or guilt that may be coming up in the face of our grief.
For those of us wanting to know how we can provide comfort to those in need, an amazing answer came from a four year old child.
Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, “Nothing, I just helped him cry”.