The world has been reminded that death and grief aren’t pretty.
A portion of the world has been triggered by the reality and visual representation of death and grief. Chrissy Teigen and John Legend lost a baby this week and shared the news with the world.
They grieved openly.
They wept publicly.
They were vulnerable and brave and real.
They reminded society that grief is uncomfortable and devastating. And heavens, it has caused a stir.
People don’t want to see grief.
People don’t want to see death.
People get rattled by death, and grief, and life’s hardships.
People don’t want to feel uncomfortable.
People want to pretend and hide this dark and morbid part of life.
And trust me, grieving hearts get that sentiment. Heck, those of us that have grieved deeply want to deny, and hide, and run from it too. But that isn’t realistic and it’s certainly not healthy. We live in a world that shuns grief, and this is proof. We shouldn’t be hiding grief. We should be acknowledging it. It’s the only way to heal the most broken pieces of our ache and longing.
Grief shouldn’t elicit shame.
Grief shouldn’t be something to be embarrassed by.
Grief shouldn’t have to be hidden to help others feel comfortable.
Grief shouldn’t have to be denied to help others hurt less.
Grief shouldn’t have to be invisible, or forgotten, or ignored.
Grief should be honored. It should be recognized, and dare I say appreciated. After all, it’s only made possible by love. Great and memorable love.
We have to stop avoiding grief and instead start embracing it and those that it has found. Doing this will allow a world filled with greater empathy, greater compassion, and greater support for the hurting.
Let people grieve.
Openly. Authentically. Without judgement.
Please, friends, let them grieve.
xox, Chels
