Some Thoughts on Grief

There has been a lot of unexpected and devastating loss around me these last few weeks. Each time, I ponder on this quote from Dieter F. Uchtdorf,

"In light of what we know about our eternal destiny, is it any wonder that whenever we face the bitter endings of life, they seem unacceptable to us? There seems to be something inside of us that resists endings.

Why is this? Because we are made of the stuff of eternity. We are eternal beings, children of the Almighty God, whose name is Endless and who promises eternal blessings without number. Endings are not our destiny."

Sometimes we grieve the loss of a loved one. Other times it the loss of what might have been. When it happens we want the world to stop for just a little while and acknowledge our grief. We want to be able to have time to mourn the loss without having to go about our day to day responsibilities. Even the Savior of the world wanted time to grieve for his cousin John. But the world is busy and doesn't stop for us. People around us move on while we wonder how we can ever pick up all the pieces. People say "I'm so sorry, how can I help," but sometimes can't stay for very long.

Grief is such a strange thing. It causes some to be angry, depressed, or even manic. Some show their grief by crying, others do not. It leaves a hole that can heal, but will never truly be the same as it was before. It hurts. It hurts immensely. It hurts to watch others face it. When I see others grieving, I just want to help. I want to take that hurt away. I want to wrap my arms around them and somehow take the pain so they can have peace, even just for a little while. My heart aches for them because I know that there is so little I can truly do. 

I wish I had the words to better express what I am trying to say. I am grateful for an eternal perspective. I am grateful for the power of prayers and the comfort that they bring. I am grateful that endings are not really endings.