Inviting Grief Into Our Lives

We all grieve, everyday…not to be a Debbie-downer, but everyday there seem to be things left undone, missed opportunities, choices we may have made differently at the end of the day.  Maybe we miss a friend or family who live far away, maybe a loved one has died and we can no longer feel their presence, or we mourn the end of a relationship, even being a day, a week, a year older may bring up a touch of grief for some.  I believe that often depression is misinterpreted and grief is at the heart of the discontent.  Certainly this is not to say that life is sad and heavy with loss each day of our lives.  However, when we pay homage to the insignificant losses like another day has come to an end, or the significant losses through death and endings, grief pulls us deeper into ourselves.  Through acknowledging grief and allowing the emotions to flow with mindful attention, all emotion rises, crests and subsides like the waves of the ocean, yet sometimes crashing on the sands of our soul. Eventually the storm subsides and our attention returns to love.  Grief is essential, it is the companion of love.  The deeper and more wholly we love, the deeper the grief.  It is the risk of loving with an open heart.