I read this a while ago in my daily blog reading and I have had it open on my desktop ever since. Why? Because it spoke to me. Because I know what it is to be in place where life sucks, and nothing anyone can say will change my reality. Because I have been in a place where I don’t need encouragement, or cheering up, or even to get over myself. Because sometimes the pain is so raw, the wound so open that all I need is someone to get right in there, get messy and bloody with me, hold my hand over my open wound and say “that sucks”.
I have friends going through stuff like that right now, and it sucks. I have family going through stuff like that right now, and it sucks. And maybe you are too. I just want to let you know, it sucks.
As Naomi put it so eloquently after my last post “sharing the pain sometimes is all we need”.
Absolutely. Recently I have come to believe that the best way to be a friend to someone in grief (or other pain) is to acknowledge their pain and accompany them, bearing witness to their journey, holding their hand either metaphorically or physically, and just being present.