The Gift of Grief

The Unwanted Gift of Grief is a book I picked up in Chicago last week. Saturday night (while still in Tampa) a group of friends of mine were discussing grieving. Another friend lost his mother a few months ago and some people couldn't understand the length and depth of his grief. Walking through the grief process myself, I know that grief is ultimately personal and individual. My grief for John is different than my grief for my brother, Chris....for a number of reasons ranging from the suddenness of Chris' death to the fact that I'm 5 years older than I was when Chris died. I began reading this book and kept saying "YES! That's exactly it!" I'm tempted to write all the passages I've already highlighted in the book, but I've highlighted too much and cannot pick the most pertinent or most moving quote. For anyone who's lost someone...even a long time ago, and for anyone who knows someone who's lost someone, this book is a must. To me, this book approached grief intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. It has made me feel better simply because it has validated my grief process.

Chicago was wonderful. The details are unimportant. I had much time of sharing with friends, made new friends and had time to personally think. I spent one morning at the Loyola Museum looking at an exhibit on John Paul II and his friendship with a Jew, Jerzy Kluger, who ultimately helped JPII visit Israel. It was so interesting and provoking. I'm such a history buff, that the history itself was intriquing. But to recognize what the Pope went through before becoming pope was inspiring. Near the end of the exhibit, there was a model "Wailing Wall" like the wall in Israel where John Paul stopped to pray. There was paper for you to write a prayer on and put it in the wall. The museum will be taking all those prayers to the Wailing Wall in Israel when the exhibit closes. Pretty neat. Yes, I left a prayer.