Love is one of the most powerful things in the world. It is, in part, because of love that we often grieve so hard. Grief is huge and it sometimes takes up so much space in our hearts that is feels like there is no more room; for anything.

But, LOVE is bigger.

It is important to remember that you are most likely grieving because you loved someone so much. To truly love another human being is a beautiful gift that in the end is far sweeter than the bitter taste of death.

Losing someone you love will lead to a broken heart. Immersed in the pools of grief, there will be days when you can barely keep your head above water and there will be days when it feels hard to breathe. Grief ebbs and flows but it always remains. Once you have lost someone you love, grief becomes a part of who you are and quite honestly life is never quite the same.

Where would we be if we lived our lives without the power of love. Human beings need connection and love is one of the greatest connections of all. Without love life would cease to exist. We don’t love others because we will have them in our lives forever. We won’t. People will leave and people will die. It is a harsh reality in life, but true.

Love never goes away. We keep loving even though it sometimes hurts and even though it means we sometimes have to lose.  Love makes us stronger and it makes us better human beings. It teaches us, guides us, changes who we are and shapes who we can become.

People will say that it hurts too much to love and sadly, some people will emotionally close their hearts and shut down. Love is scary and will sometimes lead to pain. Like many things in life, there are no guarantees and if you love you will eventually walk down a path that leads to grief and pain.

Grief is hard but to not have loved or to not be loved back is harder.  It is because we love others so much that our hearts must sometimes break into a million little pieces when they are gone. Grief becomes a part of who we are because love was a part of who we are. It is impossible to have one without the other.

Love means that we are willing to take a risk, open our hearts and accept that it won’t last forever. But in the end it is still worth it. Every last tear we will shed from a broken heart and our grief is worth it; if we had the gift of love. Grief will always be a part of you but broken hearts can heal and you can find your way back to love and joy.

If you are grieving, my heart goes out to you. Allow your tears to fall. Grieve and heal your heart. Be patient with yourself and have faith that while life is different, life can be beautiful again. Run towards your pain and grief instead of running away from it.  Courage is within all of us but it is okay to feel broken and weak.  If you need help, ask for it; people do care. Forgive. Live in gratitude; there is always something to be grateful for even when things are hard. Help others; there are a lot of people grieving in this world. Hang on to hope; without love and hope things will feel very dark.

Grief is so damn hard and it hurts really bad. Don’t let anyone tell you it doesn’t hurt or that you are grieving in the wrong way, because that is a lie. But remember this, you are grieving because you had something amazing in this life that everyone wants and everyone needs. You are grieving because you had the special and sacred gift of loving another human being so much. No one can take that away from you.

Love is powerful. It sustains people in life and in a brutal but beautiful way it continues to sustain people in loss and death. Never give up on love.

In Peace and With Love,

Michele