Grief

Such a simple word, almost too simple. The myriad of emotions, utter sadness, denial, anger, encompassed in that one word makes it seem as though it should be so much more complex. There is no perfect playbook for processing grief, no cemented timeline or linear progression, no algorithm or how-to guide that explains what to feel and when.

Grief can be paralysing. We can sit in our sadness and anger and denial longer than our minds and hearts are capable of processing. The unrelenting waves of emotion can rob us of our future and make us jaded to the good around us.

Enter hope. Hope is the sister of grief. In hope there is healing, there is change, there is a future. Hope reminds us that grief is not where we will be mired forever. It’s the gentle light of daybreak in the seemingly endless dark of night.

So we grieve. We grieve together, shoulder-to-shoulder with compassion for where each of us is at in these uncharted waters.

And if the night gets too dark and some of us lose sight of daybreak on the horizon, let us gently remind each other of the hope that tomorrow can bring.

Source: Los Angeles Fire Department Peer Support