This is insightful and beautiful. I have to think that social justice activism is based on grief. We grieve the gap between what is and what can be. We grieve the gap between the unjust systems that churn people's suffering and the vision of the Kingdom of God. Anger is a part of grief, but those on the outside looking in only see the anger. We can try harder to share the grief. Thank you!
Thank you for this meditation. There is other grief in my life right now and my grief for what’s happening in our nation and world magnifies other grief and is magnified by other grief. Remembering to breathe and prayer keep me centered. I always appreciate your prayers and practices.
Guest not Govenour is a great point because recurrent molestation thrives on what it can succumb. Devouring innocence is its illicit thrill. Grief provokes mindlessly overeating to "help" compensate for the emptiness of emotional fatigue.
You speak so exactly to where I am right now and have been for a long time. When I pause in my life, which at my age is often, tears start to well up. That’s about as far as it goes right now. I’m not consciously holding the grief back; I know there’s so much that I can’t bear it all, so I’m looking forward to the community you are calling forth now. I grieve that we are facing so many losses all at once. The most egregious for me is the impending, inevitable loss of most of life as we know it on Planet Earth, not only but especially human life, and how unnecessary it all is/has been. And how we go about our lives as if this were not so. Even my favorite genius/guru Yuval Harari writes as if it were not totally in the works, even though he clearly knows it is. He reminds me of the Native American elder cautioning of the prophecies, “Don’t take away the people’s hope.” I don’t imagine an extension of this life into an afterlife, so I am left with hope as the gateway into another dimension of consciousness, the “inbreaking of Spirit” into and through our daily lives.
I am a mostly retired psychotherapist; with the few clients I now have I take great pleasure in their finding freedom to be more and more who they truly are. I am blessed to be a part of their becoming. Especially in the face of our cultural worship of materialism and power-over. Their preciousness makes the mixture of joy and grief ever more poignant. My personal agency seems so small; that’s why the connection to others is so important; we ARE in this together! 🙏
Thanks so much for your reflections Rev. Trimble! They’ve been a true balm in these tumultuous times! Grief has pointed out, over and over and over again, that it is a necessary experience for my souls growth. Or, as a wise old Rabbi once said, our hearts must break sometimes for the word of G-d to fall in!
We are carrying water and at choice we bear witness of what is arid spirit. We turn from self power to other power and at choice, again we carry water, and yet not only for our own bodies but alas for our souls by bearing withness to the parched lips and tongue, dry eyes and encrusted nares and ears of the other. One drop of oblation for them, as water touches the soul of us. Faring forward, there is evermore arid spirit longing for an oblatory drop of another's bearing withness by carrying water for self and other powers. Wait there, in the desert of the spirit world and feel that water touching every grain of sand as molecular genius trothing our existential thirst for just one taste of water offered in compassion. This is field power becoming glorious splendid brilliant light refracted through water. No longer rarified mirage, but one drop becoming one taste become one drink of that light on light dawning on every molecule bearing withness as we learn how we know when to be with.
In the bereavement ministry I serve and support at my parish, we just discussed the 'collective grief' we are experiencing, last Thursday evening. In my own grief for my wife, initially I rejected the 'acceptance' stage and instead wrote a Thank You letter to my wife. More recently, however, I've realized there is another 'stage'; integration. And that is what I have accepted, that my grief is now and will be part of who I am.
Thank you, Cameron, for this devotional. So much resonates with me. Staying grounded in God’s Truth, having my community of faith that is social justice minded, thoughtful, caring, and refusing despair because we are people of hope.
Love the composting idea as well. God is doing a work of transformation. I am learning to look for the small things God is doing; small occurrences that will bring newness and steps back toward a just society.
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”— Psalm 73:26. Amen!
Sacred care grief knows...
Respond with “rhythmic presence.”
Compost. Life becomes.
This is insightful and beautiful. I have to think that social justice activism is based on grief. We grieve the gap between what is and what can be. We grieve the gap between the unjust systems that churn people's suffering and the vision of the Kingdom of God. Anger is a part of grief, but those on the outside looking in only see the anger. We can try harder to share the grief. Thank you!
Thank you for this meditation. There is other grief in my life right now and my grief for what’s happening in our nation and world magnifies other grief and is magnified by other grief. Remembering to breathe and prayer keep me centered. I always appreciate your prayers and practices.
Grief has taught me to cry and the tears have revealed to me what I loved....and I am grateful.
Guest not Govenour is a great point because recurrent molestation thrives on what it can succumb. Devouring innocence is its illicit thrill. Grief provokes mindlessly overeating to "help" compensate for the emptiness of emotional fatigue.
You speak so exactly to where I am right now and have been for a long time. When I pause in my life, which at my age is often, tears start to well up. That’s about as far as it goes right now. I’m not consciously holding the grief back; I know there’s so much that I can’t bear it all, so I’m looking forward to the community you are calling forth now. I grieve that we are facing so many losses all at once. The most egregious for me is the impending, inevitable loss of most of life as we know it on Planet Earth, not only but especially human life, and how unnecessary it all is/has been. And how we go about our lives as if this were not so. Even my favorite genius/guru Yuval Harari writes as if it were not totally in the works, even though he clearly knows it is. He reminds me of the Native American elder cautioning of the prophecies, “Don’t take away the people’s hope.” I don’t imagine an extension of this life into an afterlife, so I am left with hope as the gateway into another dimension of consciousness, the “inbreaking of Spirit” into and through our daily lives.
I am a mostly retired psychotherapist; with the few clients I now have I take great pleasure in their finding freedom to be more and more who they truly are. I am blessed to be a part of their becoming. Especially in the face of our cultural worship of materialism and power-over. Their preciousness makes the mixture of joy and grief ever more poignant. My personal agency seems so small; that’s why the connection to others is so important; we ARE in this together! 🙏
Thank you for your insightful, thoughtful, and informed columns. Truly inspirational.
Thanks so much for your reflections Rev. Trimble! They’ve been a true balm in these tumultuous times! Grief has pointed out, over and over and over again, that it is a necessary experience for my souls growth. Or, as a wise old Rabbi once said, our hearts must break sometimes for the word of G-d to fall in!
Peace-Salaam-Shalom
We are carrying water and at choice we bear witness of what is arid spirit. We turn from self power to other power and at choice, again we carry water, and yet not only for our own bodies but alas for our souls by bearing withness to the parched lips and tongue, dry eyes and encrusted nares and ears of the other. One drop of oblation for them, as water touches the soul of us. Faring forward, there is evermore arid spirit longing for an oblatory drop of another's bearing withness by carrying water for self and other powers. Wait there, in the desert of the spirit world and feel that water touching every grain of sand as molecular genius trothing our existential thirst for just one taste of water offered in compassion. This is field power becoming glorious splendid brilliant light refracted through water. No longer rarified mirage, but one drop becoming one taste become one drink of that light on light dawning on every molecule bearing withness as we learn how we know when to be with.
Bearing Withness in Mnipolis
In the bereavement ministry I serve and support at my parish, we just discussed the 'collective grief' we are experiencing, last Thursday evening. In my own grief for my wife, initially I rejected the 'acceptance' stage and instead wrote a Thank You letter to my wife. More recently, however, I've realized there is another 'stage'; integration. And that is what I have accepted, that my grief is now and will be part of who I am.
Thank you, Cameron, for this devotional. So much resonates with me. Staying grounded in God’s Truth, having my community of faith that is social justice minded, thoughtful, caring, and refusing despair because we are people of hope.
Love the composting idea as well. God is doing a work of transformation. I am learning to look for the small things God is doing; small occurrences that will bring newness and steps back toward a just society.
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”— Psalm 73:26. Amen!
Thank you again for helping us articulate that which we are feeling and experiencing in these times