Grief breathes with you

Blessing for the Daily-ness of Grief

…

It will take your breath away,

how the grieving waits for you

in the most ordinary moments.

It will wake you up

with your waking.

It will 

sit itself down

with you at the table, 

inhabiting the precise shape 

of the emptiness 

across from you.

It will walk down the street 

with you 

in the form of 

no hand reaching out 

to take yours.

It will stand alongside you

in every conversation,

nearly unbearable

in its silence 

that fairly screams.

It will 

brush its teeth 

with you at night 

and climb into bed 

with you 

when finally 

you let go 

of this day.

Even as it goes

always with you,

it will still manage

to startle you with its presence…

breathing with you still 

through the terrible

and exquisite

ordinary days.

-- Jan Richardson

The Cure for Sorrow