Fr Sean used these descriptions of grief from author Edgar Jackson in his holily at our annual Mass of Commemoration for those who have died in the past year on November 18th 2016:
Grief is a young widow trying to raise her three children, alone.
Grief is the man so filled with shocked uncertainty and confusion that he strikes out at the nearest person.
Grief is a mother walking daily to a nearby cemetery to stand quietly and alone a few minutes before going about the tasks of the day. She knows that part of her is in the cemetery, just as part of her is in her daily work.
Grief is the silent, knife-like terror and sadness that comes a hundred times a day, when you start to speak to someone who is no longer there.
Grief is the emptiness that comes when you eat alone after eating with another for many years.
Grief is teaching yourself to go to bed without saying good night to the one who had died.
Grief is the helpless wishing that things were different when you know they are not and never will be again.
I also found this thought while I was seaching for an image to accompany this post:
There is no expiry date on grief.