Grief has no rules. No timeline.

You grieve for things you lost.

You grieve for things you never had.

You grieve for people you knew.

You grieve for people that loved you.

You grieve for people you loved dearly.

You grieve for people who should have loved you.

You grieve for people you tried to love.

You grieve for people who didn’t fulfill a role that they should have.

Your grieve for ones who are in grief.

You grieve for relationships you cannot heal.

You grieve for events and relationships that are over.

Grief is not a stranger here.

To mom:

Those moments between asleep and awake…you are present and I want to tell you something. But I then remember… you are gone. You slip back into my dreams as I slip into reality.

To my dear friend:

My God… why? Why did you leave this world without telling me you were going? So much was left unsaid. You cannot leave me without allowing me to say what I never said!

To my grandma:

You were so harsh so often….and I miss it. I miss our talks about mom. About things that really mattered. About your life. About what I needed to do to stay strong. I still try to call you. You….my surprise support. Our conversations were so raw. The generation between us missing and bridging us at the same time.

To my cousin:

I’ll never forget our childhood. Your call as you were off to war. Our road trip. Our laughter. The silence. THE call. I wish you would have told someone. We wanted you here. Your sister needs you.

To you:

You refused to see anything good in me. You spoke ill of me to others. You hurt the relationship I value the most. Your words made me question my faith. You missed out on an amazing family.

To you:

You can do no more harm to them. The last time I saw you I hugged you and told you I loved you. You recoiled. But I saw her eyes in your eyes. You are gone. May you reunite with your son and make peace. Rest, this journey is over.

Grief has many forms. Abandonment. Extreme loss. Hurt. Anger. Remorse. Emptiness. Relief. There is no right or wrong. There just is. Some visit us daily. Some are brought back to the surface by another loss. News of ones journey home always makes me pause.

JGC