Open Letter to a Grieving Mother

I know your loss.

I know how suddenly it feels as if something shifted, as if the air were let out of the room, and you are left to struggle in your attempt to walk upright in a now tilted world.

I know your anger. I know the desire to slam the wall and shake a fist at God.

I know the ache, not just in your heart but in your whole body.

I know how grief, years later, can be like a rogue wave that catches you unaware and takes your breath away when you least expect it.

I know that our mind and spirit can only handle so much at one time. One moment, you will catch yourself laughing and realize just how long it has been since you felt like laughing and the next, you may catch a glimpse of someone who resembled some part of your child and you will want to cry.

I know that because it goes against the natural circle of life, we may never completely absorb such an inconceivable loss.

I also know another mother who endured the agony of watching her child suffer. Her name is Mary, the mother of Jesus. Powerless, she endured the agony of watching her son beaten, crowned with thorns, and nailed to a cross. As a mother, I imagine she felt each lashing, each piercing, rip through her heart.

She knows our loss. She knows our pain. She knows our suffering.

~~Sheila LaSalle