Читать книгу Grieving the Loss of a Loved One - Lorene Hanley Duquin - Страница 6

Introduction

When my editor at Our Sunday Visitor, Bert Ghezzi, left a message on my answering machine asking if I would be interested in writing a book of meditations for people who are grieving, my first impulse was to say no. I was still in the throes of my own grief over the death of my mother. My mother had been ill for a long time. She still lived in the old family homestead. I had quit my job in order to spend more time with her and watched her gradual decline. I thought I was prepared for her death, but I was not.

How could I do a book of meditations on grief when I was grieving?

I decided to pray about it.

I was no newcomer when it came to grief. I had undergone bereavement training when I was working as a pastoral associate and had started grief-support ministries in several parishes. I had given talks on grieving. I had written articles about bereavement and a book for Our Sunday Visitor entitled Grieving with the Help of Your Catholic Faith.

But even with all that bereavement information in my head, my mother’s death was more difficult than I had ever imagined. It struck me in the heart. I felt as if something deep inside me had been ripped out. I had difficulty concentrating. I felt sick to my stomach most of the time. Thoughts of my mother consumed me. And I faced the additional pain of having to clean out and sell the family homestead.

How could I do a book of meditations on grief when I was grieving?

So I kept praying.

Then my editor asked me to write a few meditations to see how this book might be structured. I sat down and asked God to help me. The meditation on tears seemed to unfold in my mind. I prayed some more, and the next meditation that came to me was dealing with doubts.

It wasn’t long before I realized that writing a book of meditations is not like writing a how-to book. I discovered that this book of meditations would be rooted in prayer, in the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, in my own experiences of grieving, and in my desire to help others who were grieving.

So I agreed to write the book. I quickly realized that this little book of meditations was helping me grieve the loss of my mother. I sincerely hope it will help you grieve the loss of your loved one.

Grief is a very individual process. Every person grieves differently. You may find that some of the meditations describe exactly what you are experiencing. Other meditations may not relate to your particular situation at all. Don’t feel as if you have to read this book cover to cover. You can pick and choose the meditations that are most helpful. There may be some that you will want to read often and some that you will read only once. It’s okay.

If there’s one message that I would like to present throughout this book it is that you should never feel bound by anything that someone else tells you to do when you’re grieving. You will know in the depths of your own being what is right. Follow your interior guide. You will eventually come to realize that what you feel inside is the Holy Spirit — leading you, inspiring you, comforting you, and healing you.

My final prayer is that the Lord will bless you and give you peace as you journey through your grief.