Grief labors long over its healing work. In so many ways it is often never over, never complete. Some losses seem beyond healing. Accommodation is possible. A full life is possible. New relationships can develop. But, the vacuum of some losses is never filled. It is natural to want to rush grief and to want pain to be gone.

Who cannot want pain to be gone? But in rushing grief along, the pain can get buried, and run deeper into the soul only to manifest itself later and often arise later disguised as something unrelated to the initial loss. No matter how long ago your loss may have occurred, welcome the tears that well up within you. Let them flow. Tears are grief’s first agents, first responders in a tragedy.

No matter how long ago your loss may have occurred, welcome your desire to talk about it. Speaking about your loss stimulates grief to continue its unique work. Conversations facilitate healing and recovery, especially conversations with those who have walked a similar path. No matter how long ago your loss or breakup or violation may have been, welcome your desire to write about it and do so.

Words strung together into sentences, then paragraphs, then chapters may well deliver you into realms of peace and on-going healing.