Johann Hari once said, “We grieve because we have loved. We grieve because the person we have lost mattered to us.”

Grief is not a linear process.

It is an ebb and flow of emotions

and choices that we navigate,

between holding on and letting go.

Like this water,

tears move,

ever changing in shape and patterns.

The flowers that bloom and subsequently fade away

help us find our way back

to a place in our hearts,

to remember

the beauty,

the joy,

and the love,

to soften for just a moment

the pain,

the aloneness,

the fear of having to live beyond this very moment.

Set it all down,

come into this moment.

Let it hold you.

Let it nurture you,

stroking your cheek,

embracing you with softness and sweetness.

For the next few moments,

let everything else go.

You are loved,

and held,

more than you will ever know.