Wednesday, July 8, 2015

GRIEF & HAPPINESS

The power of grief is inexplicable, really. It 
is a hurt that runs so deep that only those who have lived it can understand. Sometimes, we bury the hurt so deep down, we think it's gone and then like a flash of lightning, something zaps you right back into that black empty space. 

My mother died almost 14 years ago and the feeling of loss never really goes away. I believe that the loss of a child and the loss of one's mother is so powerful. This is not to diminish the hurt and sadness when we lose anyone else we love. It is just that the mother-child relationship is so  intricately intertwined, into the depths of our very soul.  


I considered myself pretty strong when it came to the loss if my mom. I mean, I did and do have moments of sadness and longing for her but I grieved when she died and celebrated her life thereafter, and still smile at her memory. So I was completely taken back, when recently, I grabbed a bottle of perfume, knowing full well that it was the scent my mother wore and inhaled deeply, as if to intoxicate myself  and like a waterfall of emotions, the tears just flowed as I smelled it.  I knew what I was doing, I just never expected that incredible flow of emotion.  It is amazing how emotions so deeply buried can surface at the slightest hint of a memory. 

As I inhaled the scent, it instantly transported me to my youth and to her sweet smile as she basked in the "scent of a mom." I didn't know it then, how much I would come to love that perfume, if only for the memory.

It is through moments of deep grief that I have experienced, that I have also learned to truly appreciate the power to be happy.  Grief teaches us that life is short and we must appreciate our loved ones before time runs out. We all have the power to be happy and although some of us have experienced major losses in our lives, some more than others, we must learn to overcome the sadness and learn to appreciate what we do have and be happy. We are ALL on borrowed time.  It is what we all have in common - no one gets out alive. 

So, if you too are struggling with moments of grief, do your best to hold on to the great memories you have and use all your strength and power, to be HAPPY! 

~Lissette R.