Please Be Gentle, An After Loss Creed by Jill B. Englar

This is one of the poems I received in the mail:

Please be gentle with me for I am grieving.

The sea I swim in is a lonely one and the shore seems miles away.

Waves of despair numb my soul as I struggle through each day.

My heart is heavy with sorrow. I want to shout and scream and repeatedly ask "Why?"

At times, my grief overwhelms me and I weep bitterly, so great is my loss.

Please don't turn away from me or tell me to move on with my life or I should be over it by now. I must embrace my pain before I can begin to heal.

Companion me through tears and sit with me in loving silence.

Honor where I am in my journey, not where you think I should be.

Listen patiently to my story. I may need to tell it over and over and over again.

It's how I begin to greasp the enormity of my loss.

Nurture me through weeks, months and the years ahead as I begin my life long journey.

Forgive me when I seem distant and inconsolable.

A small flame still burns within my heart and shared memories may trigger both laughter and tears.

I need your support and understanding. There is no right or wrong way to grieve.

I must find my own path.

Please will you walk beside me?