Journal entry by Tessa Nelson —
Grief.Â
{is the response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or something that has died, to which a bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, it also has physical, cognitive, behavioral, social, cultural, spiritual and philosophical dimensions.}Â
Tis the season, for love and laughter, joy and giving.. but for a lot of people, it also brings a lot of sadness, and grief. Of course, this year is bonkers already, pandemic and all.Â
I’ve talked a bit about grief in past posts, but tonight; I’m going to solely talk about it. Not because it’s a topic everyone wants to talk about, or read about.. but because it is somewhat taboo in today’s world. It’s a big subject, that most are afraid to talk about; but here I am.. laying all my thoughts on the line.Â
I’m not even sure where it came from, whether I read it somewhere or someone talked to me about it, but I’m going to try my best to paint a picture in your mind of my model in my head. When grief happens, whether it be when someone or something dies, or even before... per say if someone is very sick. Think of life as a box, a square, an object with four sides. When grief happens there becomes a large circle, inside your square. Just enough smaller than your square to move a little. Each time the circle hits one of the walls of your square, is a time of grief. At the beginning, it is almost constantly hitting the walls, as you are in a constant state of sorrow. As time moves forward, the circle in your box slowly gets smaller. It will always be a circle inside your box, but the times of hardship and grief.. will lessen, as time goes on.Â
Another way to look at it, is that the oceans will always have waves... sometimes, the waves are bigger, sometimes the waves are smaller. The same goes for grief.Â
 Something most people don’t want to come to terms with, is the fact that grief is always a part of our lives. We can either realize this, and be at peace with the fact that our loved ones and things will always be with us, or we can spend our grieving moments miserable. Now, let me remind you... no matter how hard you try, there are always going to be grieving moments that are sad. There is nothing that can change that, and that is okay. Having grief is a sign of how much we love, and how much we care. Be okay with the fact that we love those we lost.Â
So no matter what we are grieving for, give peace this holiday. Truth be told, we’re all fighting battles others don’t know about. Give Grace. Give peace. Give smiles, because smiles change lives.Â
God is good, all of the time.Â
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