Grief

A dear friend of mine received some terrible news. She has suffered a loss so painful that my mind shies away from trying to imagine it. For those of us around her, it's a painful reminder that life is sometimes bitterly unfair, often tragic, and never truly safe. 

Dearest friend, I cannot make this pain less for you. I know that. Grief is a dark bubble that surrounds and separates. To grieve is to be more alone than feels possible in a world with so many other people. Everything said is muffled to the point of being nonsense. A single day stands as the dividing line in time; there was Before, and now there is After. For a while, they seem so close that your heart doesn't want to believe that Before is gone. There should be a way to reach back, and pull it up to you, so that After doesn't come. It shouldn't be like this. 

We, your friends, never know what to say in times like this. We want, so badly, to help, even as we know there is little we can do. This grief is yours. We hurt for you. We cry for you. But it's you who has to find your way through that dark bubble. Just know that we are out here. Row upon row of us. We rest our fingertips on the edges of that darkness. We hold up candles to guide you out. You may not feel our touch yet. Our lights may not be able to pierce through to your eyes. But we are here. Always.