Moments with Mary

Hardened Hearts While grieving, make sure you continually touch base with your heart emotions so you don’t put up protective barriers to prevent love from continually flowing in and out of you.  After all, you just went through such emotional devastation and will have a natural tendency to protect yourself from future emotional pain.  The pain experienced from carrying those deep wounds of hurt can unconsciously build protective barriers on both sides of what comes in and out of you.  Consciously check in to what you are feeling to ensure you don’t lose touch with yourself.  Self-awareness is key to understanding your experience of loss by making sure you don’t overprotect your heart to the level that you harden it.   More importantly, staying connected to your Creator by keeping a channel of communication open is critical to process with God what you are going through.  God is listening to you. God is extremely close to the broken-hearted.  And…G...

 A Poem about Grief Grief is more than just stages.  Grief is... A journey into deep within, An empty space that can’t be filled in. A stunning realization of what used to be, A battle with sadness others can’t see. A life story ended with untold emotion, A powerful time of unwavering devotion. An unsettled struggle that catches attention, A missing beyond comprehension. An awareness of life’s fragility, A life now seen very differently. A collection of moments of love and care, A desperate feeling of deep despair. A mystery dance with fate alone, A future hung in vast unknown. A collection of blessings in disguise, A wake-up call in the middle of the night. A video of unfinished dreams, A gratefulness for all you mean. A hole inside a broken heart, An inner sadness that we’re apart. A struggle inside the inner soul, An awareness grief can take its toll. A stark reminder of what once was, A painful journey of unconditional love. Chaplain Mary George-Whittle "Let the words of m...

The grief journey is like trying to go up a ladder that has very slippery rungs, grasping tightly to normal but normal isn’t anymore.  We grasp tightly onto each rung so we don’t fall into an abyss of emptiness trying to focus not only on falling but just trying to stay steady and continue up the ladder in an attempt to break through the pain.  Each rung symbolizes a step in the grief process…fear, sadness, anxiety, loss, change, heartbreak, guilt, helplessness….the rungs go on.  Grief seems never-ending on this insurmountable ladder to climb.  Some days feel like two rungs up the ladder, and the next day seems like falling three steps down.  Don’t get discouraged.  Keep on trying.  Keep moving up.  See God as the ladder, and God’s angels pushing and pulling you up through the abyss and up out of the grief.  It takes time, it takes energy, it’s a push toward every pull on those rungs.  You will get there.  You will break through....

There are a lot of lonely moments during the grief journey, but feeling alone in a crowded room is especially noticeable and definitely uncomfortable.  What a stark contrast to the reality that is happening when standing inside a crowd.  That alone feeling can occur at a family gathering, a friend’s party or even in church.  How can that be?  Yet feelings of loneliness and loss sear the soul.   In that awareness of being alone, look around you.  There are people there that may seem unaware, but still care deeply about you.  Look inside and realize you are never really alone.  Look up and notice God looking at you, your paths will always cross.  God is completely aware of what you are feeling and loving you through it...no matter what.  "Look upon me, have pity on me, for I am alone and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart; bring me out of my distress."  Psalm 25:16-17 For more information visit https://www.chaplainm...