So beautiful. I thought of Francis Weller's book while reading this, and how some of my most treasured moments of my life have been in spaces where my sorrow is not only welcomed, but held in the arms of other beautiful humans and non-humans, like the floor of earth near a river.
“Grief is subversive, undermining the quiet agreement to behave and be in control of our emotions. It is an act of protest that declares our refusal to live numb and small. There is something feral about grief, something essentially outside the ordained and sanctioned behaviors of our culture. Because of that, grief is necessary to the vitality of the soul. Contrary to our fears, grief is suffused with life-force.... It is not a state of deadness or emotional flatness. Grief is alive, wild, untamed and cannot be domesticated. It resists the demands to remain passive and still. We move in jangled, unsettled, and riotous ways when grief takes hold of us. It is truly an emotion that rises from the soul.” - Francis Weller
It is so vital that we speak to the art form of lament and grief in Christian circles. Thank you for being one of the beings who is doing such, Joe.
So beautiful. I thought of Francis Weller's book while reading this, and how some of my most treasured moments of my life have been in spaces where my sorrow is not only welcomed, but held in the arms of other beautiful humans and non-humans, like the floor of earth near a river.
“Grief is subversive, undermining the quiet agreement to behave and be in control of our emotions. It is an act of protest that declares our refusal to live numb and small. There is something feral about grief, something essentially outside the ordained and sanctioned behaviors of our culture. Because of that, grief is necessary to the vitality of the soul. Contrary to our fears, grief is suffused with life-force.... It is not a state of deadness or emotional flatness. Grief is alive, wild, untamed and cannot be domesticated. It resists the demands to remain passive and still. We move in jangled, unsettled, and riotous ways when grief takes hold of us. It is truly an emotion that rises from the soul.” - Francis Weller
It is so vital that we speak to the art form of lament and grief in Christian circles. Thank you for being one of the beings who is doing such, Joe.
Thanks so much for this, Tara, and for sharing that Weller quote. And "like the floor of earth near a river"....yes.