Death takes away.  That's all there is to it.  But Grief gives back.  By experiencing it, we are not simply eroded by pain.  Rather, we become larger human beings, more aware, more compassionate, and more able to help others.  Grief is powerful alchemy.  It plunges us into sorrow and forces us to face the finiteness of life, the mightiness of death, and the meaning of our existence on this earth.  It does more than enable us to change; it demands it.

The way we change is up to you, and it is possible to be forever bowed by grief.  But it is also possible to be enlarged, to find new direction, and to allow the memory of the beloved person we have lost to live on within us, not as a monument to misery but as a source of strength, love, and inspiration.  By acting on our grief, we can eventually find ourselves a place of peace and purposefulness.  It is my belief that all grievers, no matter how intense their pain, no matter how rough the terrain across which they must travel...can eventually find that place within their hearts.

by TCF Inland Empire, San Bernardino CA